Inside Idaho's Snowden Wildlife Sanctuary: Rehabilitating Bears and Injured Wildlife

Inside the Off-Grid Idaho Sanctuary Giving Vulnerable Wildlife a Second Chance

Nestled within the Payette National Forest near McCall, a private 35-acre off-grid property is quietly keeping Idaho’s most vulnerable animals alive. Founded in the early 1980s, the Snowden Wildlife Sanctuary operates dozens of specialized enclosures designed to rehabilitate injured and orphaned wild animals before returning them to their native habitats. The facility manages everything from birds and squirrels to its most prominent patients: black bear cubs.

Operating a wildlife sanctuary of this scale requires strict protocols to ensure animals do not lose their natural fear of humans. The facility is set up so that patients experience minimal to no direct interaction with people. In 2025, Snowden successfully rehabilitated and released 36 animals back into the wild. Geographic data from that year shows that 50 percent of the sanctuary’s patients originated from McCall, with 15 percent coming from Cascade and 11 percent from New Meadows, while others arrived from Boise, Nampa, and elsewhere in Idaho.

Managing the Black Bear Cub Rehabilitation Program

Black bear rehabilitation demands specialized containment and careful behavioral oversight. Retired IDFG Wildlife Manager Jeff Rohlman supervises Snowden’s Black Bear Cub Rehabilitation & Release Program, working closely with Idaho Fish and Game throughout the recovery process. Cubs are placed in either a one-acre or two-acre fenced enclosure depending on their physical condition and age.

Staff utilize game cameras to monitor the bears without entering their immediate space. “One of the bears we have now was orphaned and found by himself,” Wildlife Rehabilitation Assistant Manager Jazmyn Lapacinski said. “He is hanging out with us and just started getting used to his feeding spot he has. We’ve had a game cam in there so that we can keep eyes on him without us having to physically be in the same area as him – as part of that degree of separation to make sure he’s never used to people.”

Inside the enclosure, the bears spend their days foraging for food, climbing trees, and playing together. To further limit human exposure, staff and volunteers wear ghillie suits when entering the enclosure to feed the bears fresh fruits and vegetables.

Lapacinski noted that the sanctuary expects to take in many bears this year due to environmental pressures. A lack of food, such as huckleberries, alongside wildfires can cause mothers to leave their cubs behind. “It’s really not a fruitful summer. Our wildlife is going to be feeling it because not only are black bears depending on this, but all sorts of other birds that eat berries and other little critters too,” Lapacinski said. “Higher competition with fewer resources means it’s going to be a struggle for these guys.”

Most current cubs are slated for release around the 1st week of November, provided they put on enough weight.

When to Call a Professional Before Intervening

While bears arrive at Snowdon from across the state, most other wildlife come from nearby communities. However, Lapacinski warns that well-intentioned human intervention can sometimes introduce severe physiological dangers to stressed animals.

Handling wild creatures can trigger a condition known as capture myopathy, a severe metabolic disorder brought on by extreme stress from being caught, handled, or transported. “We can have patients that come in, and maybe they were caught by the public. We weren’t contacted until hours later, passed back and forth,” Lapacinski said. “By the time we get this animal, it’s extremely stressed.”

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Rabbits and certain bird species are particularly vulnerable to stress. For example, a bird that strikes a window may appear dazed and approachable, but a lack of visible injuries like bleeding or a broken wing often means it simply needs time to recover undisturbed. Sanctuary staff recommend placing a protective box over a stunned bird if household pets or external hazards pose an immediate threat, allowing the animal time to recover and fly away on its own.

“Maybe you’ve got a bird you see on the side of the road, out of the way of danger. It’s not really in any type of harm’s way,” Lapacinski said. “Before you go and grab it, maybe give us a call.”

Funding and Community Support for Off-Grid Operations

To protect the animals’ rehabilitation process, Snowden Wildlife Sanctuary remains closed to the general public. Despite the restricted access, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit maintains an active public footprint through off-site outreach and educational programs at schools and community events throughout the year.

All rescue, medical, rehabilitation, transportation, and release services provided by the sanctuary are fully covered. Operating costs—covering specialized food, medical equipment, testing supplies, and property maintenance on the 35-acre off-grid property—rely on private donations and grants.

“It goes back into so many different parts of just our everyday, day-to-day operations, but straight back to our animals, really and truly,” Lapacinski said.