Pepper the racoon is a favorite among visitors to the New Mexico Wildlife Center in Española, and he didn’t disappoint a group of third graders from Atalaya Elementary School on a field trip earlier this year.

Pepper was a young adult when he became an animal ambassador at the center in 2019 after being confiscated by New Mexico state officials who found him being kept illegally as a pet. Now, he is one of the stars of special sessions that allow visitors to get up close with wildlife and learn more about birds and other animals.

In one of the center’s Animal Encounter programs, the students from Atalaya in Santa Fe watched a short training session with Pepper, an excellent climber who can follow a target pole around his habitat. They also learned about raccoons, which are common mammals in New Mexico and often found in urban areas. They are intelligent, mostly nocturnal and eat both plants and animals.

“They loved it,” said teacher Ana Wooldridge. “The kids really connect when they see the animals live.”

The students had been working on a unit centered on informational texts in which they studied animals, wrote a report and read “The One and Only Ivan” by Katherine Applegate to learn about animals in captivity. The field trip to the Wildlife Center was the final part of that unit and taught them how they can help wildlife.

“It’s really important for students to make that connection and see that there is a way to help animals and get some empowerment,” Wooldridge said, adding that the kids learned that if they find a bird with a broken wing or another animal that needs help, they can work with an adult to get the creature to the Wildlife Center.

Other groups — including Wildlife Rescue, Inc. of New Mexico in Albuquerque — also rehabilitate wild birds and animals.

As part of the field trip, the students also had an Animal Encounter with Amelia the American kestrel out on a trainer’s glove, saw other wildlife and looked at snakeskin under a microscope.

In addition to offering education programs, the nonprofit New Mexico Wildlife Center takes in injured and orphaned animals and works to rehabilitate them so they can be returned to the wild. The onsite wildlife hospital treats 650 to 900 animals of more than 100 species a year.

The center is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for children and free for those under 3.

“The overall experience of coming to the New Mexico Wildlife Center is a great opportunity to see these wild animals that people don’t get to see up close in the wild, to learn about the animals that live around us,” said Education Coordinator Beth Thompson. “We always are encouraging people to think about ‘Do these animals live around my house, too?’”

The Animal Encounter programs are held at 11:30 a.m. each day and allow visitors to meet one of the roughly 20 ambassador animals up close. Visitors also can stroll the self-guided tour trail to see more animals and learn about them through informational signs that offer details about the individuals, where the species is found in New Mexico and more.

Members of the education team give a talk about each animal and why it is at the center as well as information about what people can do to protect their habitats.

“It’s a chance to see one of the ambassadors a little more up close or to talk with the educator working with that animal,” Thompson said, adding that the program is well suited for kids, who often have more questions than adults.

Visitors might see a raptor training session, watch the bobcat being fed or touch a reptile. The animals are trained to take part in their own care as much as possible, Thompson said. That means they might be trained to follow a target stick so the staff can move them around their enclosure. Raptors are trained to stand on a scale and to fly to different perches. Juniper the gray fox goes for walks on leash, which allows her to explore a greater area than her enclosure.

Popular ambassador animals include Patches, an inquisitive Western box turtle who arrived at the center with multiple shell punctures that never fully healed, and Joni, a bobcat who was orphaned when her mother was killed by a javelina. Several hawks, eagles and two black-billed magpies also are among the ambassadors.

“All of these animals are non-releasable either because of an injury or because they’re too used to humans and it would be dangerous for them and for humans,” Thompson said.

Visitors should plan to spend 30-60 minutes visiting the animals, including 10-30 minutes for an Animal Encounter program. There also are pagodas and tables along the trail for picnicking. Be prepared to walk on a sunny, uneven trail. Check the center website at newmexicowildlifecenter.org and social media or call (505) 753-9505 for information about upcoming special events.