The North Texas Wildlife Center is looking for a new home due to a zoning issue with the City of Plano.
Coconut the Opossum. Photo courtesy of NTxWC.
On June 27, the NTXWC took to Facebook to share the news that the City of Plano had given the organization 60 days to vacate their property or be shut down, despite having a permit. The city business department’s main issue with the center arises from the high volume of foot traffic it generates in a residential area, the Facebook post clarified.
The center’s leadership is Lake Highlands-based based and its animals — including Coconut, the white opossum — have appeared at numerous Lake Highlands events. Vector Brewing has hosted a few, with the most recent being Coconut’s second birthday party.
NTXWC was founded in 2013 as a refuge for orphaned and injured wildlife in the region. It moved to the property in Plano three years ago, according to a Morning News article.
One likely reason for the increase in foot traffic is the center’s year-over-year uptick in intakes. NTXWC has surpassed 1,000 drop-offs already this year. For reference, the center received 985 drop-offs in 2024, NTXWC President and Lake Highlands neighbor Rebecca Hamlin wrote in a Facebook post.
In her post, Hamlin lauded the City of Plano for its “professionalism and grace” throughout the process. The City has extended its compliance timeline to almost two months from the standard 13-day period, Hamlin wrote.
To help secure the center’s future, Hamlin and the rest of her team are searching for new properties for a permanent home. Donations are encouraged, with a GoFundMe page aiming to raise $250,000 (the page’s advertised goal of $12,000 is inaccurate).
“We’re not done.We will not walk away from the animals who need us. We will not close our doors,” Hamlin wrote on Facebook. “We are building something better- for wildlife, for North Texas, and for every person who has ever shown up with a baby bird, an injured squirrel, and a heart full of hope.”
