The St. Francis Avian Rehabilitation Center is an organization,
which takes care of orphaned and injured wild birds.
Our business has been chartered non-profit since 1999.
In 1997, Marybeth Bennett , the founder of St. Francis Avian, was on her way to a wedding when she found an injured pigeon on the side of the road. She took the injured bird with her to the wedding and the reception while attending to its needs. After she arrived home, she made numerous phone calls in search of someone to give the bird medical attention and long-term treatment. This resulted in finding no one in her area to help the bird.
After finding a veterinarian to see the pigeon, she cared for the bird herself until it could be released. And so was the birth of St. Francis Avian Center. Slowly, she started receiving birds from other people who had heard the story of her caring for the pigeon. She initially received starling, sparrows, finches, and pigeons.
Today, St. Francis Avian accepts all wild species of birds. Our organization operates from a small property in Egg Harbor Township, N.J. The office is run from an existing business location in Linwood, N.J. St. Francis is the only facility in our area that is state and federally licensed to handle wild migratory birds. In 2001, over 600 birds passed through our center. Many were released back into the wild; the non-releasable birds, which are permanently disabled, were zoo placed when possible. Regrettably, birds that cannot be released or placed must be euthanized to maintain sufficient room at our facility for future “guests.”
