If you are currently a Certified Wildlife Rehabilitator (CWR™) as of December 31, 2024, you may transition to the new education and experience requirements established in January 2025. The transition must be completed, and all education, experience, and licensing/permitting requirements must be fulfilled by December 31, 2030.
Important Transition Details:
- Active Status: Your active CWR™ status will not change at this time. Transitioning CWR™’s must meet all updated education and experience criteria by December 31, 2030, in order to maintain their active CWR™ status after such time.
- Submission Deadline: All required education, experience, licensing/permitting documentation must be submitted by December 31, 2030, to avoid removal from the CWR Registry.
- Transitioning CWR™’s who have not met and submitted the new criteria will be removed from the CWR™ Registry March 31, 2030.
- If you are able to meet the education requirement as of December 31, 2030, but are unable to meet the experience requirement, you can maintain AWR™ status. Once the experience requirement has been met and approved, you may transition to CWR™ status.
New Requirements for CWR™ Certification
For those applying or transitioning to CWR™ status, the following new requirements must be met:
1. Education Requirements (50 hours total across 13 disciplines)
- Identification, Natural History, & Behavior: 4 hours
- Handling, Restraint & Human Safety: 4 hours
- Basic Physiology: 4 hours
- Intake, Triage, & Stabilization: 5 hours
- Euthanasia: 3 hours
- Hydration & Fluid Therapy: 4 hours
- Thermoregulation: 3 hours
- Wound Management: 3 hours
- Medications: 4 hours
- Nutrition: 4 hours
- Captive Housing: 4 hours
- Release Criteria: 4 hours
- Calculations: 4 hours
**Applicants may submit hours completed prior to January 2025.
You may apply the continuing education (CE) hours submitted for your CWR™ renewal toward meeting the education eligibility requirements over the next 6 years. Please be sure to consider the specified disciplines if you intend to use renewal CE for this purpose.
2. Experience Requirements (5,000 hours)
You must complete at least 5,000 hours of wildlife rehabilitation-related experience, which may include:
- Internships or Externships: Wildlife, veterinary, ecology, or conservation-related internships or externships.
- Research Participation: In wildlife, veterinary, ecology, or conservation research.
- Employment/Volunteer Work: Work or volunteer experience at a wildlife rehabilitation facility.
- Partial Credit: With approval from the Certification Review Board (CRB) or the CWR™ Director, partial credit may be granted for relevant work at zoos, nature centers, or educational institutions.
*All applicants with experience relating to internships/externships, research participation, or employment/volunteer work must submit letter from supervisor stating duties and amount of hours performed as proof of completion for all employment, volunteer work, internships/externship and research.
*Credentials of supervisor submitting letter may be requested at the discretion of the CWR™ Certification Body.
- At-Home Wildlife Rehabilitation: Independent wildlife rehabilitation work done at home.
- Letters of Recommendation: Two letters of recommendation from a wildlife veterinarian, licensed wildlife rehabilitator, or active CWR™, attesting to the applicant’s knowledge and experience are required for all At- Home/Independent rehabilitators.
- Annual Reports: All At Home independent rehabilitator applicants must submit at least three annual report documenting patient records.
- The following list can be used as proof of experience for “at home” rehabilitation:
- All “At Home” Independent rehabilitator applicants are required submit at least 3 annual reports. Applicants have the option to submit up to 5 annual reports within the CWR™ application.
- A copy of an annual governmental report will suffice if includes all items noted below.
- Annual report must include the following:
- List of all patients rehabilitated
- Dates in care
- Reason for rehabilitation
- Amount of time in care
- Final disposition
- Description of how many animals and of what species cared for each year
- Description of what types of conditions patients are being treated for
- Pictures of the at home rehabilitation set up including:
- Indoor caging
- Outdoor caging
- Supplies
- Kitchen/diet area
- 2 letters from either a wildlife veterinarian, licensed wildlife rehabilitator or active CWR™ including the following information:
- Description of at home rehab set up
- Volume of patients seen each year
- Species of patients seen each year
- Reason for rehab for your patients, eg. orphans, injuries, etc.
- *A wildlife veterinarian must have at least 5 years experience with wildlife. The veterinarian is subject to further proof of experience at the discretion of the CWR™ Director.
- The following list can be used as proof of experience for “at home” rehabilitation:
*All applicants still subject to providing additional documentation including but not limited to non-licensed rehabilitator requirements listed below at the discretion of the CRB.
Approval of experience requirement fulfillment is at the discretion of the certification body.
3. Additional Considerations:
- Licensing: Applicants must be licensed or permitted for wildlife rehabilitation in their region if applicable.
- CWR™ Exam: Current CWRs (active prior to January 2025) are not required to retake the CWR exam.
- Application for Transitioning CWRs: To submit your updated education, experience, and licensing/permitting documentation, please complete a CWR™ Application and select “Transitioning CWR™” from the “Type of Registration” dropdown menu. This application will allow you to submit all necessary documentation to maintain your CWR™ status.
4. Interviews:
- All applicants, including Transitioning CWRs, may be required to participate in a verbal or video interview at the discretion of the CWR™ Director upon review of their submitted documentation.
- Applicants will be notified of the interview request and will receive results (pass/fail) via email at a later time.
5. CWR™ Renewal Process:
The renewal process for Transitioning CWRs remains the same:
- Continuing Education: Complete and provide proof of 16 hours of continuing education.
- Renewal Fee: Pay the current renewal fee.
For further information on these requirements, please refer to the 2024 CWR™ Handbook.