during trimming, and injured by other often human-related activities. They also care for orphaned young, both onsite and at the homes of specially trained volunteers. After being treated, an animal is released back into the wild. If it cannot be safely released, it may join the museum as a resident "animal ambassador". As many animals brought to the hospital are cat-caught, the museum strongly encourages visitors to keep their cats indoors. Animal ambassadors Lindsay Wildlife Experience specializes in the care of animals unable to return to the wild. Of the 70 animals that call Lindsay Wildlife home, nearly all of them have a physical, psychological, or behavioral problem that would make them unable to survive in the wild. All of the animals that live at Lindsay Wildlife Experience serve as animal ambassadors and educate the public on conservation and natural history. Some animals are on view to the public; others live off-exhibit and are brought out for presentations, classes, tours, and private animal encounters. Amphibians California tiger salamander Birds Acorn woodpecker American kestrel Bald eagle Band-tailed pigeon Barn owl Barred owl Golden eagle Great grey owl Great horned owl Greater roadrunner Harris's hawk Mourning dove Peregrine falcon Red-shouldered hawk Red-tailed hawk Swainson's hawk Turkey vulture Western screech owl White-tailed kite Mammals Domestic rabbit Domestic rat Ground squirrel Guinea pig Mexican free-tailed bat North American porcupine Virginia opossum Reptiles Aquatic garter snake California kingsnake California mountain kingsnake Common chuckwalla Desert iguana Pacific gopher snake Northern alligator lizard Southern alligator lizard Western pond turtle Invertebrates Banana slug Black widow spider Cactus longhorn beetle Chilean rose tarantula Desert blond tarantula Desert hairy scorpion Desert millipede Madagascar hissing cockroach Wolf spider References External links Institutions accredited by the American Alliance of Museums Wildlife rehabilitation and conservation centers Nature centers in California Walnut Creek, California Museums in Contra Costa County, California Natural history museums in California