About Us

The Wilderz at Pocono Wildlife serve the greater Northeast PA region. This includes, but not limited to Monroe, Northampton, Wayne, Lackawanna, Pike, Luzerne, Susquehanna, Wyoming, Lehigh, and Carbon County. Servicing over 10 counties, we are the only facility in PA to take in and rehab bears. Our staff and volunteers are the backbone to running this facility all year-round. The Wilderz are licensed by and work with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the PA Fish & Boat Commission, and the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

The Executive Directors, Janine and Susan, are both licensed rehabilitators who work closely with the public, municipalities, and other agencies to rescue and rehabilitate injured and orphaned animals, with the goal to release them back to the wild. Their unique approach to blending homeopathy and allopathy in treating animals has stood out amongst their peers and other rehabbers alike.

As a 501(c)(3), we rely solely on donations from individuals and businesses to drive our mission. The support that we receive from the community is essential to what we do. In turn, we strive to give back to the public through education and service.

Our Mission:

Rescue, Rehabilitate, Release

We strive to serve our community and local wildlife. Not only is our goal to create a place for animals in need, but it is also to create a place that supports the relationships between humans and wildlife. We aspire to educate and guide the public towards a symbiotic relationship with the wildlife all around us.

Meet Our Team

I started this journey with wildlife through Capture and Transport, rescuing animals and getting them the care they needed. I am an animal intuitive, Reiki Master and teacher, and a licensed PA wildlife rehabilitator. One of my missions in life is to create a symbiotic relationship between humans and wildlife through awareness and education.
Susan Downing

Executive Director

My passion is working with animals. I spent many years in domestic animal rescue and previously owned a social media marketing company. I have a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Lehigh University, several years of clinic experience as a veterinary technician, and a PA Wildlife Rehabilitator license. My mission is to care for wild animals and educate the public on the importance of keeping our wildlife protected and respected.
Janine Tancredi

Executive Director

I’ve worked with birds my whole life, gaining experience with livestock birds (I have a pet chicken named Da Baby), exotics, songbirds, corvids, and raptors. I am currently studying avian behavior and training to eventually become a falconer. I have worked at this center for a little over 2 years now and am grateful for the experience that I’ve gained thus far.
Samson Metzgar

Staff

I started working for The Wilderz in September 2023. I graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with B.A. in Biochemistry and Linguistics. I let my love for animals guide my next steps after college to land an intern position at this center. Learning about and being part of The Wilderz here has been a privilege and one of the most life-changing learning experiences. I am extremely grateful to work here and can’t wait for what more I will learn along the way.
Katie Lee

Intern

I founded the center in 1983 and established a comprehensive all-species wildlife care and educational facility in the Commonwealth. As a PA licensed K-12 Environmental educator, I’ve been developing educational programs for our center to present to groups of all ages and sizes. With a Master’s in Biology and decades of experience caring for injured and orphaned wild animals, I created a center I’m proud of and now serve as the Education Director.
Kathy Uhler, M.S., Founder

Education Director

I started my career in wildlife in 2001 under the tutelage of Mary Jane Stretch, working at a well-established wildlife rehab center for 18 years. I am a licensed PA rehabilitator and am living the dream working every day with injured/orphaned wildlife. I love sharing and teaching volunteers and the public about our day-to-day. To facilitate in the Rescue, Rehabilitate, and Release of our animals is a dream come true. love sharing my knowledge with volunteers and the public.
Kathryn "Kat" Schuster

Clinic Manager

I have been working at this center since 2009. I dedicate my life to service, working as a certified MA cardiac specialist for many years, and now working in wildlife care with my passion for animals. I’ve been a dog trainer since 2010 and a dog mom to 1 samoyed and 4 huskies. I’m also a small business owner of Harnessed to My Heart Photography and Inner Heart Photography.
Sharon Wycoff

Clinic Manager

History

Pocono Wildlife Center was founded in 1983 and incorporated as a nonprofit organization in 1988.

Katherine (Dubin) Uhler was born and raised in Pennsylvania. She spent a great deal of time in the wilds of PA, and decided to earn her teaching and Biology/Environmental Science degrees at East Stroudsburg University of PA. During the summer of 1980, she served an internship and volunteered at other wildlife rehabilitation centers. She fell in love with rehabilitation so much so that she became a licensed rehabilitator that winter. 

The early years of PWREC were modest, working first from the spare bedroom of her mobile home residence, then moving to her own property in Tobyhanna. Kathy supported herself with her full-time career as an Ecology teacher at Stroudsburg HS, while building the Center into a professional, all-species care facility. Educational programming was offered and became one of her favorite aspects of serving both wildlife and people. Kathy received Sigma Xi Science Teacher of the Year, Monroe County Environmental Educator of the year, and PA Environmental Educator of the year.  

During the 1990s, Kathy earned her Master’s Degree in Wildlife Biology and Disease, and the Center grew to where volunteers and interns helped manage the increasing number of animals arriving for care. At the same time, Mt. Pocono and Tobyhanna were growing, and the small municipal airport down the road began service to corporate jets and larger aircraft. Pocono Wildlife found itself in the landing zone, a situation intolerable to wildlife already stressed from injury and captivity. Just as she was ready to close permanently, Kathy, who had met and married Eric Uhler, were offered the lease of a vacant farm purchased by The Nature Conservancy, in Cherry Valley, Stroudsburg PA. They jumped at the opportunity to continue to serve wildlife and the community at large, moved the entire facility and vacated their home to create the Pocono Wildlife that exists today. After years of renovations, building new enclosures and converting apartments into clinic and office space, the Center became one of the most notable facilities in the Commonwealth. The Nature Conservancy sold PWREC the piece of the property it leased and it now has a permanent location. 

Kathy stepped down as Executive Director in the fall of 2022, in order to have more time to devote to providing educational programming, writing, and helping care for the growing number of animals, particularly raptors, carnivores, and bear cubs being admitted each year. And perhaps… a vacation. Ms. Uhler does not see a time when she won’t be serving wildlife and people in northeastern PA. She and Eric currently reside in Stroudsburg. 

Phone

570-402-0223

Email

Address

1161 Cherry Drive,
Stroudsburg, PA 18360

1-833-PGC-WILD