Wildlife rehabilitation centres treat injured, orphaned, and sick wild animals with the ultimate goal of returning them to their natural habitats, requiring careful preparation to ensure survival after release.
The goal of rehabilitation is welfare through eventual freedom, but the process itself involves stress, confinement, and human contact. Minimising human imprinting protects both the animal's wild behaviour and future welfare. Release decisions must balance recovery completeness against the welfare costs of continued captivity. Some species require specialist care that general rehabilitators may not provide safely.