The Wildlife Rescue of East Tennessee (WRET) serves as the primary, 24-hour lifeline for injured, orphaned, and displaced native wildlife across the entire East Tennessee region. Our ability to act swiftly and decisively depends entirely on effective, timely communication from the public. We strongly emphasize that how you choose to contact us is critical: a time-sensitive emergency requires a direct call to our hotline, while all general inquiries, administrative matters, and scheduling requests should be directed through our email or office line during business hours. This separation is paramount to maintaining the readiness of our emergency response system, ensuring that when an animal’s life is hanging in the balance, our line is clear and our expert team can be dispatched without delay. Whether you are reporting a critical rescue, offering to volunteer, or seeking educational materials, every interaction with WRET contributes directly to our mission of compassionate care, expert rehabilitation, and the eventual, triumphant return of these magnificent creatures to their natural habitats. We look forward to connecting with you and welcoming you into our community of conservation partners dedicated to the stewardship of our region’s biodiversity.

The 24/7 Emergency Hotline Protocol: Your Immediate Lifeline

Our dedicated Emergency Hotline is reserved exclusively for urgent, time-critical situations involving native wildlife that is visibly injured, trapped, sick, or definitively orphaned, operating without pause every single day of the year, including all holidays and weekends. We understand that finding an animal in distress can be frightening and stressful, but it is absolutely essential that you do not attempt to capture or handle the animal until you have spoken directly with one of our trained emergency coordinators. Wild animals, even small ones, can inflict serious injury when scared or in pain, and inappropriate handling can cause further stress or damage to the animal, or worse, lead to dangerous habituation to humans, making their eventual release back into the wild impossible. Our coordinators are expert communicators trained to guide you through the initial, crucial moments of the encounter, providing immediate, precise instructions on how to safely contain the situation, minimize the animal’s stress, and prepare for the arrival of our specialized rescue or transport team. This immediate phone consultation allows us to rapidly assess the species, the severity of the injury, and any environmental dangers, ensuring that our response is both swift and perfectly tailored to the unique demands of the emergency at hand, which drastically improves the animal’s chance of survival and successful recovery once it reaches our rehabilitation facility.

When to Call the Emergency Hotline (Priorities for Immediate Response)

It is vital to understand the difference between a true emergency and a non-urgent observation. You MUST call the hotline immediately for the following critical situations:

• Visible Trauma: The animal is actively bleeding, has an obvious compound fracture, a visible open wound, or has been hit by a car or other vehicle.
• Confirmed Orphan Status with Imminent Danger: Neonatal or juvenile animals are found alone, covered in insects, wet, cold, or if the parent has been definitively confirmed deceased (e.g., seen killed on the road). We caution against assuming an animal is orphaned; always observe for several hours before intervening, but if the condition is deteriorating rapidly, call right away.
• Entanglement or Trapping: An animal is tangled in fencing, netting, fishing line, or is trapped inside a building, chimney, or deep culvert and cannot escape without human intervention.
• Predator Attack: The animal, especially a baby or small bird, has been attacked or carried by a domestic cat or dog, even if there are no immediate visible injuries, due to the high risk of fatal bacterial infection from pet saliva.
• Signs of Illness: The animal is circling, stumbling, acting lethargic, seizing, or displaying unnatural boldness toward humans, which could indicate neurological damage, poisoning, or severe illness requiring immediate isolation.

Information to Prepare Before You Call

To facilitate the fastest and most effective rescue response possible, please gather and have the following information ready before initiating the call to our 24/7 emergency hotline:

• Your Exact Location: Provide a precise physical address, cross streets, or GPS coordinates to ensure our team can locate the animal quickly, especially if the emergency is in a remote or hard-to-find area.
• The Species of Animal: Identify the animal as accurately as possible (e.g., Raccoon vs. Opossum, Hawk vs. Owl, Gray Squirrel vs. Flying Squirrel). If you are unsure, describe its size, color, and distinguishing features.
• The Circumstances: Detail exactly how the injury or situation occurred (e.g., hit by car 30 minutes ago, found in a window well, cat brought it in).
• The Animal’s Status: Describe the animal’s current visible state (e.g., sitting upright, lying down, moving, shivering, vocalizing).
• Your Contact Information: Provide a reliable phone number where we can reach you immediately to provide instructions or coordinate a meeting point for transport.

Our 24/7 Hotline ensures that critical care begins the second you make contact, and we implore the community to utilize this life-saving number responsibly to protect its accessibility for true wildlife emergencies.

Administrative and Non-Emergency Contact

For all inquiries that are not immediately life-threatening to an animal, including requests for educational workshops, information about volunteering, general donation questions, or administrative correspondence, please use the contact methods outlined below. Utilizing our general email and main office line during business hours helps our emergency team focus on field operations and critical patient care at the facility.

General Information and Administrative Email

Email: info@wlret.site

Our central administrative email, info@wlret.site, is checked regularly throughout our normal business hours (Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM EST). This is the preferred method of contact for any detailed or less urgent communication, as it allows our team to thoroughly research your request and provide a comprehensive, documented response.

• Volunteer Inquiries: If you are interested in joining our incredible team of volunteers, please use this email to request our volunteer application packet and an overview of current critical needs, such as Animal Care Technician or Transport Team roles.
• Educational Outreach: Schools, civic groups, businesses, or scout troops looking to schedule a presentation, workshop, or community outreach event with our Lead Education Specialist, Mac, should initiate contact here, detailing the scope, size, and desired timeframe of the request.
• Donation and Fundraising Questions: For questions regarding corporate sponsorships, planned giving, major gifts, or obtaining a tax receipt for a prior donation, please contact us via this email, and a member of our fundraising committee will respond promptly.
• General Information: Any non-urgent question about our species-specific care protocols, facility operations, or general conservation information can be directed here.

When emailing, please use a clear and concise subject line (e.g., “Volunteer Inquiry – Transport Team” or “Workshop Request – Elementary School”), which significantly helps our team prioritize and route your message to the correct department head, ensuring a timely and accurate reply within one to two business days.

Administrative Office Phone

Administrative Office Hours: Monday – Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM EST

While the emergency line is 24/7, our administrative office phone is staffed only during the stated business hours to handle non-emergency calls. This phone is the best way to speak directly with our Animal Husbandry Manager or Administrative Assistant regarding scheduling, general facility questions, or follow-up on a prior communication that did not require immediate emergency action. If you call outside of these hours, you will be directed back to our 24/7 emergency hotline, but please remember to only use that number for true emergencies. If the administrative line is busy, please leave a detailed voicemail with your name, phone number, and the nature of your inquiry, and we commit to returning your call as soon as possible, often within the hour during peak business times.

Physical Location and Drop-Off Protocol

Our facility is located in Kingsport, Tennessee, and serves as the medical and rehabilitation hub for all of our rescue efforts.

Address: 3407 MEMORIAL BLVD, KINGSPORT, TN 37664

Facility Access and Public Health Policy

It is a crucial and fundamental policy of the Wildlife Rescue of East Tennessee that our facility at 3407 MEMORIAL BLVD, KINGSPORT, TN 37664 is strictly closed to the general public for unscheduled visits, tours, or casual drop-offs. This policy is not intended to be unwelcoming but is absolutely essential for the physical and psychological well-being of the hundreds of delicate, recovering patients under our care. Any unnecessary human presence, noise, or traffic can induce extreme stress in recovering wildlife, which can lead to stress-related illness, impede healing, and, most critically, cause the animals to become tragically habituated to humans. If an animal loses its innate fear of people, it cannot be released back into the wild, which compromises our entire mission. We prioritize maintaining a low-stimulus, low-stress, and sterile environment at all times to maximize the animal’s chances of a full recovery and a successful, enduring return to its natural habitat. We kindly ask for the community’s cooperation in respecting this policy and only arriving at the facility after coordinating a specific drop-off time through our emergency hotline.

Protocol for Dropping Off a Rescued Animal

If you are transporting a rescued animal on behalf of WRET, you MUST call the 24/7 hotline in advance to confirm your estimated time of arrival. Upon your arrival at the 3407 MEMORIAL BLVD address, please remain in your vehicle and call the hotline again to announce your presence. A trained member of our intake team will meet you at our designated, secure receiving dock to safely take the animal into our care, minimizing the chance of escape or cross-contamination. Please do not attempt to enter the building or the surrounding outdoor enclosures. This coordinated effort ensures the animal immediately enters our medical triage system without delays, and that all necessary patient information—such as the rescue location and circumstances—is accurately transferred to the veterinary team for immediate care and record-keeping, completing the vital transition from the field rescue to professional rehabilitation.

Digital Engagement and Ongoing Connection

Connecting with WRET online is the best way to support our mission and stay informed about the inspiring stories of rescue, recovery, and release that happen every day at our facility, and we welcome you to join our growing digital community.

Our Official Email and Online Presence

Email: info@wlret.site

We regularly update our social media platforms with educational content, calls for specific supplies (such as heating pads or specialized formula), and celebratory announcements of successful releases, offering a wonderful, safe way to witness the tangible impact of your support without disrupting the animals’ healing process. Following us online is a powerful form of advocacy, as sharing our content helps us reach more citizens with our preventative educational message, ultimately reducing the number of animals that require emergency intervention. We also maintain a donor newsletter, which you can subscribe to via our website, providing deeper insight into our complex medical procedures, facility developments, and the long-term conservation research we contribute to, ensuring you always feel connected to the vital work being done every day at our Kingport facility. We encourage you to actively engage with our posts by sharing, commenting, and using your voice to promote the core values of coexistence and compassionate conservation championed by the Wildlife Rescue of East Tennessee.

We sincerely thank you for your compassionate interest in the native wildlife of East Tennessee and for taking the time to understand and adhere to our specific communication protocols. Your responsible and timely contact is the most critical donation you can make to an animal in distress.