Wild At Heart saves Arizona’s burrowing owls by relocating them to tiny underground apartments—now featured in National Geographic.

CAVE CREEK, ARIZONA, AZ, UNITED STATES, March 18, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Every year, hundreds of tiny burrowing owls in Arizona face a heartbreaking fate as their nesting grounds are destroyed by development. Without intervention, these remarkable birds—known for their expressive faces, fierce devotion to their families, and signature ground-dwelling habits—would be lost. Wild At Heart, a dedicated raptor rescue and conservation organization in Cave Creek, Arizona, has spent decades ensuring that doesn’t happen. Now, its tireless work is being recognized in the March issue of National Geographic in the article “Saving Burrowing Owls in Arizona.”

Burrowing Owls are unlike any other raptor. They may take to the sky, but they live and raise their young in abandoned underground burrows of prairie dogs, squirrels, fox, skunk and badgers. And as cities sprawl and open land disappears, these small but mighty creatures are being buried alive, their homes bulldozed without a second thought. That’s where Wild At Heart steps in. Through its Burrowing Owl Relocation Project, the organization rescues and relocates at-risk owls, giving them a second chance at survival by constructing tiny underground apartments for them. Through these efforts, Wild At Heart has relocated thousands of burrowing owls and has built over 6000 artificial burrow habitats.

“This work is a race against time,” said Bob Fox, executive director and co-founder of Wild At Heart. “We’ve seen owls sitting helplessly in construction zones, families torn apart as their burrows collapse. But we’ve also seen the incredible resilience of these birds when given a safe place to call home.” The Western Burrowing Owl is considered a “Species of Special Concern” and on the “threatened” list in nine of the western states of the U.S.

Wild At Heart’s conservation efforts go beyond rescue. The organization, with the help of dedicated volunteers, builds artificial burrows, transports owls to safer environments, and monitors their adaptation. Each step is a labor of love—placing owls in protective enclosures for weeks so they can imprint on their new surroundings before being released.

“These birds are fighters,” commented Greg Clark, who is featured in the National Geographic article as Wild At Heart’s burrowing owl habitat coordinator. “They hunt, they adapt, they watch over their young with unwavering dedication. They deserve a future, and we’re here to make sure they have one.”

The National Geographic feature brings national attention to Wild At Heart’s work, highlighting not only the urgency of burrowing owl conservation but also the extraordinary efforts being made to safeguard these birds.

Wild At Heart invites the public to be part of this mission—whether through volunteering, donations, or simply spreading the word. “Every burrow we build, every owl we relocate, is a victory,” Greg Clark said. “And we need all the help we can get.” To learn more about Wild At Heart and how to support their work, visit https://wildatheartraptors.org/burrowing-owls-natgeo/. Wild At Heart is a 501(c)3 organization based in Arizona.

Wild At Heart is a 501(c)3 organization based in Arizona
Photography available upon request

Beth Edwards
Wild At Heart
+1 763-258-6621
bethinphoenix@gmail.com
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