Progress Made in Effort to Save Cape Wildlife Center

COURTESY OF FRIENDS OF CAPE WILDLIFE: The Cape Wildlife Center names Zak Mertz new executive director.

BARNSTABLE – Steady progress continues to be made in the effort to save the Cape Wildlife Center from closing, according to the February Newsletter of Friends of Cape Wildlife.

The Humane Society of the United States, which operates the facility, had planned to close it last November, but an agreement reached with the Pegasus Foundation provided additional time to develop a long-term plan to continue wildlife rescue, treatment and rehabilitation at the facility.

The foundation is expected to complete a lease agreement with the Humane Society with an anticipated start date of March 1 for the new organization.

The Friends of Cape Wildlife continue to fundraise and have received a matching donation gift up to $5,000 from Crackerdog of Provincetown.

Any donation made to the Cape Wildlife Center through April 15 will be automatically doubled.

The Center has also named Zak Mertz as its new executive director.

Mertz grew up in the setting of a wildlife hospital as his father Greg is the CEO of the New England Wildlife Center.

Zak is currently the hospital Manager for the New England Wildlife Center’s veterinary practice.

The Cape Wildlife Center’s next monthly Volunteers Meeting is March 15 at 11 a.m. at the Center on Main Street in Barnstable.