Dig out your fake fox, shaggy, fluffy, or leopard-print wardrobe. Preen, prance, and gallop to the annual Faux Fur Ball, which will occur on April 5 at the Palm Springs Air Museum. This eye-catching fundraising event will benefit the Palm Springs Animal Shelter and the Desert Wildlife Center. For animal lovers in the Coachella Valley, a lot happened last year regarding protecting and caring for our four-legged and fine-feathered friends.
The Palm Springs Animal Shelter offers adoption, lost and found services, pet licensing, animal control, a pet food bank, a low-cost vaccine clinic, and bereavement services. The organization is a no-kill shelter. Its Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program for feral cats is an important community service. “The 4,500-plus neighborhood cats you see around Palm Springs are often homeless, or sometimes abandoned by their previous owners,” according to the animal shelter’s website. “Most have had little or no contact with humans and are fearful of people, and therefore cannot be adopted out as pets.” TNR is humane and effective, and you can get involved by volunteering or donating. The animal shelter generally holds TNR clinics on the second and fourth Saturday of each month.
A galaxy of rabbits is currently available for adoption at the shelter, each with a planetary name like Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, Mars, or Mercury. The Palm Springs Animal Shelter is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Its mission is “to transform lives through extraordinary animal care and advocacy,” the website noted. The incredible work of the dedicated staff and community of caregivers is vast.
“A big part of the gala is to let people know about the work of the previous year,” says Kyele Donnelly, marketing and communications manager for the animal shelter. The shelter “doesn’t have capacity or permits for wildlife,” Donnelly says, but he is excited to share details about two new resources for animals in the Coachella Valley. The Desert Wildlife Center (DWC) will open this spring in Indio. Wildlife is increasingly in peril due to commercial and residential development, and the DWC will address this growing problem. Greater Palm Springs Animal Allies announced the upcoming opening of the DWC. Donnelly shares that a director for the DWC was hired; they are waiting for city and state permits now.
The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens in Palm Desert can do triage work, but does not have the capacity to care for injured wildlife. Staff at the Desert Wildlife Center in Indio will begin caring for sick and injured birds initially, and they hope to expand so they can treat reptiles and mammals in the future.
"Our wild animal neighbors need our help more than ever,” says Tracy Dawson, executive director of the DWC. “The Desert Wildlife Center is an opportunity for our community to come together to protect and preserve the incredible biodiversity of the Coachella Valley.”
Donnelly also shares the exciting news that a veterinary clinic will open in April in Desert Hot Springs. This clinic will be a resurrection of an old veterinary clinic; it will feature a wellness center plus vaccine and spay/neuter services. Until now, the Coachella Valley had no dedicated animal rehab center, according to Donnelly. The nearest center was more than 100 miles away. So, there is plenty of reason to celebrate, and fundraising is definitely needed to keep these remarkable sites purring.
The Faux Fur Ball will include a reception on the Palm Springs Air Museum’s tarmac plus a silent auction, entertainment, and a vegan/vegetarian dinner.
Proceeds will benefit the Palm Springs Animal Shelter, but guests can also support the Desert Wildlife Center through donations.
Though more than 2,000 animals were adopted in 2024, the work continues. The theme for this year’s Faux Fur Ball is “A Night of Glitz and Glamour,” so add some sequins to your animal-inspired attire and help support our pet and wildlife friends in style.
For more information about the event, visit https://psanimalshelter.org/events/ffb/
