We are here for wildlife.

Our mission is to rehabilitate—and ultimately release—injured, ill and orphaned native wildlife species and foster awareness and appreciation of our local wildlife. Through public education on coexisting with wildlife, natural history and conservation, we create meaningful connections to grow respect and care for our wild neighbors.

A small opossum partially wrapped in a soft, fuzzy grey and white blanket with fringes and pom-poms, showing its face and pink nose.

The idea for Heights Wildlife Center (HWC) was born in 2021, when local wildlife rehabilitators noticed a need for care on Cleveland’s east side. Officially founded by experienced wildlife rehabilitators Andrea Howell and Laura Dorr in 2025, HWC is located on Cleveland’s east side and serves communities across Northeast Ohio. HWC is an Ohio-licensed wildlife rehabilitation organization operating under a permit issued by the Ohio Division of Wildlife.

Our Team

Laura Dorr

Co-founder/Director

After many years of domestic animal and livestock care, Laura entered the wildlife rehabilitation field in 2018. Her experience includes roles as a wildlife rehabilitation specialist at Lake Erie Nature & Science Center in Bay Village, OH, and Kevin P. Clinton Wildlife Center in Kirtland, OH, and as a wildlife neonate rehabilitator with Acorn Orphan Squirrel Rescue in Parma, OH. She has also collaborated with rehabbers across the state on medical consultations, transport and developing treatment protocols.

Laura specializes in neonate mammals, with a focus on Eastern cottontails and Virginia opossums, and has worked with a wide range of native mammals, birds and reptiles. She is a member of the Ohio Wildlife Rehabilitators’ Association (OWRA) and the National Wildlife Rehabilitators’ Association (NWRA). Outside of HWC, Laura volunteers with the Lights Out Cleveland program, Bird Banding Laboratory and Buckeye Bulldog Rescue.

Andrea Howell

Co-founder/Director

Andrea has a long history working with animals, but began focusing on wildlife rehabilitation in 2021 as a volunteer at Lake Erie Nature and Science Center. She has worked as a wildlife care specialist at the Kevin P. Clinton Wildlife Center in Kirtland, OH, and operated under a permit to care for injured animals at home.

Andrea specializes in native songbirds, raptors and bats, but has broad experience working with native mammals (neonates and adult) and reptiles. She is a member of the Ohio Wildlife Rehabilitator’s Association and has attended and presented at wildlife conferences across the country.

Andrea is a Lead for Lights Out Cleveland, and spent years involved with bird and bat rescue due to window strikes. She also volunteers at the Shaker Lakes Nature Center bird banding station and the Bird Banding Laboratory.

A woman with short curly hair smiling while holding a juvenile eagle, indoors in a facility with white walls and equipment in the background.

Reminder: It is illegal to rehabilitate or care for any native wildlife species without a permit issued by the state. If you find an animal in need of help, please contact a licensed rehabber as soon as possible.

Not in the Greater Cleveland area? Find other licensed Ohio rehabbers here.

All rescue and rehabilitation work at Heights Wildlife Center is conducted by licensed professionals under the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife rehabilitation permit #31815R .