SCOTTSDALE, AZ — The Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center in Scottsdale says it has seen a 50-percent increase in orphaned raccoon, bear cubs, coyotes, and other animals this year.
According to a news release, executive director Linda Searles attributes the increase in animals to the recent fires, real estate development and summer temperatures.
"We have a lot going on in our state right now and in some of these cases, the mothers and their babies have literally been forced out of their homes and the babies end up lost and orphaned," she said in a written statement. "We are seeing dozens of more babies than we normally see this time of year."
The wildlife center is located near 156th Street and Rio Verde Drive in the far northeast Valley. It takes in orphaned animals, rehabilitates them and releases them back into the wild.
