What Is the Legacy of Peg and Roger Markle and the Wildlife Rehab Center?

The Wildlife Rehab Center (WRC) served the Grand Rapids, Michigan community for more than 30 years as a reliable resource for injured and orphaned wildlife, rescuing over 4,000 animals a year on a 1-acre urban property at the home of founders Peg and Roger Markle. The organization has now retired alongside its founders, and animals are no longer admitted at 1504 Union Ave NE in Grand Rapids. The Markles' legacy is a home-based, decades-long dedication to giving wild animals a second chance—carried forward by a new organization, the West Michigan Wildlife Center.

A Home That Became a Wildlife Hospital

WRC grew from the Markles' personal commitment rather than a standalone facility. For three decades, their residence served as the base of operations, and the organization scaled to thousands of animals per year on that single urban acre. The site's own account frames the scale of that commitment plainly: it "takes someone very special to dedicate their lives and their home to hundreds (and eventually thousands) of wild animals."

That model—founders living alongside the animals they rehabilitated—is central to how the legacy is described. The mission and the "heart" of the organization are credited to Peg and Roger; the means and motivation are credited to volunteers, donors, and supporters.

Why the Center Closed

The closure was not a sudden loss of mission but a planned retirement. In 2022, Roger suffered a serious accident while working in the barn. He recovered, but the event made clear that it was time for the Markles to officially retire—and the organization retired with them. The announcement describes the goodbye as bittersweet.

What changed for the public

• No animal intake at the old address. Animals are no longer admitted at 1504 Union Ave NE, Grand Rapids, MI.
• Help is still available. The volunteer and rehabilitator team pledged to continue the rescue work through a new organization.

Where Wildlife Help Continues

The successor organization is the West Michigan Wildlife Center, described by WRC as its "daughter" center. If you have an injured or orphaned wild animal in the Grand Rapids area, contact that center rather than traveling to the former Union Ave NE location.

The Legacy in Practice

The site sums up the founders' contribution this way: "every life is deserving of a second chance." For the public, that legacy has a practical form—knowing that wildlife help in West Michigan now flows through the successor center, and that the volunteers and rehabilitators who worked alongside the Markles intend to keep the rescue work going. The most fitting way to honor the legacy, in the organization's own framing, is to keep using the resource: wildlife help is "still a click away."