Acadia Wildlife Center is both a rehabilitation clinic for injured wildlife, and a nature center for non-releasable ambassadors. We have many licenses from the federal government and the state of Maine to possess these animals and are one of very few centers in the state to possess both rehab and education. Possession permits for education are very difficult to get and each new addition has to go through a rigerous process before being added to the licenses. Federal Fish & Game handles the birds and eagles; Maine Fish & Game handles mammals and turtles. Each year the programs of the previous year are reported and the licenses renewed. The public cannot get a permit to possess wildlife that is on the state’s restricted list which includes all of the following. Choosing and training ambassador is a big job. We always try to pick individuals that seem the most calm in captivity. This often means young animals, or ones with permanent damage from concussions. We do not want to keep an animal in a cage for its life that is miserable. So the difficulty is trying to teach the public to keep wildlife wild, all the while teaching with animals that are fairly used to people looking at them. A tricky position to be in or to explain. Our Ambassadors are all wonderful animals, but they are the exceptions to the rule.
Ambassadors
