The North Texas Wildlife Center’s permitted animal rehabilitation facility is moving from a quaint residential neighborhood in Plano, since foot traffic has increased.
In a quaint residential neighborhood in Plano, there’s a house bustling with raccoons, opossums and owls.
No, it’s not animal control’s worst nightmare. It’s the North Texas Wildlife Center’s permitted animal rehabilitation facility. Cages sit stacked on yet more cages, tagged with custom care sheets, myriad aromas drift through the halls and a cacophony of noises from numerous species fill the space. A trip to the backyard reveals yet more enclosures and recovering animals.
Before June, this cramped assembly of box turtles, Mississippi Kites and gray squirrels hadn’t been a problem. Foot traffic increased significantly in 2025, with NTXWC reporting 1,400 drop-off visitors as of September, up from the 950 seen in 2024. On June 28, the center received a call from the City of Plano’s business department giving it 90 days to vacate the premises.
“It was the worst time of my life, like it still feels uncertain,” NTXWC President Rebecca Hamlin says. “Worse, it’s not over.”
The issue, City staff said, was that the center, despite having all necessary permits, was generating excessive foot traffic in a residential area. Shortly after, Hamilin launched a fundraising campaign with a $250,000 goal.
NTXWC was founded in 2013 by Mela Singleton and Jennifer Coats. Hamlin came into the picture four years ago after finding an opossum in her neighborhood.
“The joke is that I brought an opossum here four years ago and never left. But it’s actually not a joke. It’s very, very true,” Hamlin says. “He was the first opossum that was in the sanctuary. I very passively said, ‘I would love to rehab if you know anyone.’ And the founder was like, ‘Why are you not just telling me you want to work with me?’”
She took her up on the offer, eventually becoming president of the nonprofit organization in 2023. A year prior, NTXWC moved from Singleton and Coats’ basements into the current facility.
The center provides free rehabilitation services for injured and orphaned wildlife across the region. Intake varies year-over-year, but Hamilin says they have assisted over 3,600 animals so far in 2025 and expects to reach 4,000 by December.
When a person arrives with an animal at the facility, they are asked to fill out a Texas Fish and Wildlife form and describe their discovery of the animal. After that, NTXWC staff evaluate the animal to determine the level of necessary care.
Hamlin says that around 40-50% of the animals they see have been orphaned. In those cases, the center’s primary concern is to provide nutrition and a stable environment for them as they grow and gain weight.
In other cases, NTXWC staff first determine whether or not a veterinarian is needed to treat extensive injuries. Then, if none is needed, a custom care plan is created for the animal’s stay at the center. Hamlin says the average time spent at NTXWC ranges from several days to a couple of months.
One of the center’s most notable animals up until a few months ago was its camera-friendly ambassador, Coconut, the White Opossum. The leucitic (white, but not lacking in pigmentation as in albinism) opossum had appeared on morning news programs and celebrated his second birthday at Vector Brewing in his time as ambassador. Tragically, he passed away over the spring from illness, but has found a worthy successor in Turnip, a fellow white opossum.
In August, the organization met its fundraising goal for a new facility with more than a month to spare. The center’s situation had spread far and wide on social media as Hamlin appeared on NBC 5 and fundraisers were held.
The center is currently in the process of finalizing loan papers for a new, decidedly nonresidential facility. Windows will need to be redone, enclosures rebuilt and privacy fences installed, which is why she plans to hold minifundraisers to support individual projects.
NTXWC’s future looks considerably more secure now than it did a couple of months ago. It’s a crucial turnaround for Hamlin, who has cystic fibrosis and counts on its mission as much as the animals themselves.
“My life expectancy is 37 years old, and my entire life, I never felt like I was gonna do something that was meaningful or impactful,” Hamlin says. “And then I started rehabbing wildlife. I found my purpose, I found my passion. And if I die at the age of 37, this is my legacy. This is my legacy. This is what I leave behind, and I don’t take that lightly at all. It’s a really big deal. And not every person has the privilege and the luxury to live something that they’re really passionate about.”