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OGDEN — A nonprofit that helps sick and injured animals was forced to pack up and move, but reopened Monday. It could take several years to get up to speed with the kind of work it was doing before the move, though.
That's largely because the new space is about one-third the size of the previous location of The Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Northern Utah, at 1490 Park Blvd. in Ogden. The current place at 332 Washington Blvd. wasn't built to house animals and is viewed as temporary until the center can build a permanent home in Harrisville.
The new space is made of two old houses, close together but not connected. On Monday, Buz and DaLyn Marthaler — who run the place together along with board members, staff, and volunteers — were already taking in new animals. The need for help didn't go away as they worked to move and reopen.
The center was forced to move in 2023 as Ogden planned an expansion of its dinosaur park that was next to where the rehabilitation center was renting space. The Marthalers said the new city administration has been helpful in providing what they need.
For aquatic animals, or waterfowl, the new facility can't help the way it used to. But opening is a step in the right direction, according to Buz Marthaler.
The center helps with things like an injured owl, or maybe a bat somebody found in the Walmart parking lot. DaLyn Marthaler said she knows it is where she belongs.
"So to have it be back in the game and doing what I do best, and being able to help our community and take animals in and alleviate that suffering feels amazing," she said.
"The new facility will be state of the art," she continued. "It's going to be beautiful. It's going to be huge, and it's going to be designed to do specifically wild animals. And so we'll be able to do even more than we could before."
The effort and new facility in Harrisville will need donations* and public support to build. Buz Marthaler said a proposed design should be available soon on the shelter's website, so people can see what is planned.
*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
