About Us

It all started with two Mountain Lions.

 

The Nature of Wildworks, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) located in Coarsegold, CA, was founded by Mollie Hogan in 1995 to bring to life her vision of providing interactive wildlife educational programs to enhance the public's understanding of nature and the environment, while also ensuring lifetime quality care for non-releasable wild animals.

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Mollie worked as an animal trainer at the Los Angeles Zoo. She trained and cared for the animal ambassadors in their "Wild in the City" show, but due to cut-backs, the show was cancelled. Two of these animal ambassadors were Phoenix and Sage, brother and sister mountain lions that Mollie had helped hand raise. Knowing that these animals would not do well as "exhibit animals" and wanting to make sure they ended up at a good place, Mollie decided to take them home and start her own wildlife care center in Topanga, CA.

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This is what started The Nature of Wildworks Care Center, which stayed in Topanga, CA for 26 years. Due zoning issues with the county and annual fires that only got bigger and bigger every year, Wildworks decided for the safety of the animals, that it was time to move. Read more about our relocation here.

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The Nature of Wildworks is permitted by the USDA, U.S. Fish & Wildlife, California Fish & Wildlife, and Arizona Game & Fish. We are inspected annually to ensure that our care center meets their standards.

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The Nature of Wildworks has a two-fold mission. One is to provide life-long quality care for non-releasable wild animals. This means plenty of love and attention as well as the employment of various enrichment techniques to keep the animals stimulated and entertained.

 

Secondly, The Nature of Wildworks strives to build public respect and concern for native wildlife and the environment.

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Wildworks' presentations emphasize the need to not disturb or harm wildlife when it is encountered in its natural habitat, and help dispel the fear of "wild" animals while educating the public about preserving habitats and living safely with the wildlife in our local environment.

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Mollie Hogan saw first-hand the positive effects of human interaction with nature during the twelve years she worked as a trainer and caregiver at the Los Angeles Zoo, where she participated in many of their public educational programs.

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How many people will ever experience seeing these animals up close or hear the purr of a mountain lion? This once in a lifetime encounter can change people's perspective, and that is what Wildworks is all about. Seeing an animal up close and hearing its personal story makes that animal an individual and makes us care about what happens to it, and by extension to all animals.