Retired veterinarians propose statewide wildlife rehabilitation center in Hooksett; organizers seek $6.5M and operational support

Retired veterinarians Mike and Helen Gutton presented plans for a regional wildlife rehabilitation and veterinary training center that organizers say would serve New Hampshire and northern Massachusetts. The facility would centralize intake, medical care, rehabilitation and release functions to reduce repeated animal transport and provide training for veterinarians and veterinary technicians.

Mike Gutton, introduced as a veterinarian with decades of experience repairing raptors and other wildlife, said the center is proposed on a 107‑acre property with roughly 21 acres to be subdivided for the facility at 30 Goffstown Road in Hooksett, about two miles from Exit 11. “By having one central location for everything, there was a lot less stress to the animal,” Gutton said, describing a single intake, treatment and rehabilitation location that eliminates repeated transfers between rehabilitators and veterinary hospitals.

Organizers described…