San Diego nonprofit Wildlife Jewels is giving sick and injured birds the gift of a second chance to live their best lives. Learn how wildlife advocate Azi Sharif is transforming her passion into action in this week’s Doers and Dreamers.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Tell us about Wildlife Jewels. Describe your nonprofit organization’s mission and the values that inspire and inform its advocacy.
Wildlife Jewels is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization I founded in 2023 to protect wildlife through art, science, education, conservation, community engagement and wildlife rescue.
As an artist and scientist, with a BA in Fine Arts, an MS in Computer Science, and a PhD in Applied Sciences, I’ve always been fascinated by wildlife’s extraordinary beauty, intelligence, and the science behind their remarkable abilities. From the flight of pelicans to the complex behaviors and collective intelligence of animals, nature is filled with extraordinary examples of innovation. So many inventions and technologies have been inspired by the natural world. We’ve learned so much from these remarkable beings, and I believe we greatly owe it to them to protect them.
Through our EYES (Engage Your Eyes for Sea Life) program, we monitor coastal wildlife, document threats and identify animals in distress. Wildlife Jewels Rescue Crew connects proactive field searches, community reporting, rescue and transport of injured and entangled birds to permitted wildlife rehabilitation facilities for medical care.
At the heart of Wildlife Jewels is my lifelong belief, “Wildlife Are the Jewels.” To me, no precious gemstone could ever compare to a living wild animal, healthy, happy and free in its natural habitat. Every single life is unique, irreplaceable and deserving of our compassion and protection.
Describe the mission moment when you decided to dedicate your life’s work to rescuing, rehabilitating and releasing sick and injured birds back into the wild.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve felt an extraordinary connection with wildlife and the ocean. Growing up by the sea in Newport Beach, I spent countless hours watching pelicans diving, seabirds soaring and dolphins swimming offshore. I even learned to surf to be closer to these magnificent animals.
Even as a child, I had an instinctive awareness of wildlife around me. While hiking, I would sense where an animal might be hiding, even a snake beneath a bush, before seeing it. Somehow, throughout my life, I seem to find animals when they need help.
I remember trying to save a frog when I was eight, rescuing two stranded ducklings at nine, and trying to free a mouse from a glue trap at thirteen. I also rescued distressed seabirds, carrying them to shore on my surfboard, and helped injured birds I encountered along the beach.
I’ve always seen animals as extraordinary individuals, each with their own intelligence, personality, relationships and families. Ever since I was a child, it’s been heartbreaking to see an animal injured or suffering. I’ve never been able to simply look away.
What haunted me most was the enormous gap in emergency wildlife rescue. I remember for years, desperately calling for help for injured pelicans, gulls and other seabirds, only to hear that the situation wasn’t considered an emergency, services were unavailable, or someone might check the following morning. By then, it was too late.
For years, I dreamed of changing that. I’ve always believed that when something desperately needed doesn’t exist, you have to find a way to create it.
That dream led me to create Wildlife Jewels Rescue Crew.
Today, we’re building a proactive approach to coastal wildlife rescue through continuous monitoring, early detection, field searches and timely response. Rather than waiting until a bird is critically ill or stranded on a beach, we actively search for seabirds in distress, with daily monitoring along the La Jolla coastline.
Through countless hours of observation, I’ve learned to recognize subtle signs of illness, injury or entanglement, even in seabirds that are still flying or swimming. I now share that knowledge with our EYES Search Scouts and Rescue Crew volunteers.
A bird doesn’t have to be collapsed on a beach to be in serious distress. By then, its chances of recovery would already be greatly diminished.
Our philosophy is simple: don’t just wait for wildlife in distress to be reported. Go out, look for them, recognize when they need help, and act before it’s too late.
If La Jollans discover a sick, injured or stranded bird, what steps can they take to alert you and your team and, in the process, give the bird a second chance to thrive?
Please report the animal immediately through our wildlife emergency reporting page.
Reports alert our Wildlife Jewels Rescue Crew so we can assess the situation and coordinate a response when possible.
Watch for fishing-line entanglement, visible injuries, unusual weakness, difficulty breathing or seabirds stranded in unusual locations. Importantly, a bird can be seriously ill even while swimming or flying.
Please keep a safe distance, avoid feeding or handling the animal and provide the exact location and photos or videos taken safely.
If you encounter an entangled bird, please don’t attempt to cut the fishing line and release it. Hooks may have been swallowed and hidden injuries or infections may require professional veterinary care. Report the bird so trained responders can assess its condition.
Share a rescue story that brings Wildlife Jewels’ mission full circle.
One of the most magical and memorable rescue stories I’ve experienced is that of Ruby, a precious Western Gull whose life I’ve had the privilege of following since she was an egg along the La Jolla coastline.
Through our EYES wildlife monitoring program, I documented Ruby’s development during routine surveys, watching her hatch, grow, interact with her parents and become a beautiful young gull.
Then, in early October, Ruby became seriously ill. She was coughing, gagging, struggling to breathe and growing increasingly weak. Yet she could still fly, making her extremely difficult to rescue.
Because I had been monitoring Ruby throughout her life, I recognized that something was terribly wrong, even though she was still capable of flight. Without knowing her normal behavior, her distress might easily have gone unnoticed.
After three days of searching, we finally rescued Ruby on Oct. 7 and transported her to a local wildlife hospital for professional veterinary care.
During six days of rehabilitation, Ruby regained her strength and appetite and her coughing resolved. I visited her daily, hoping she would recover and return to her family.
On Oct. 13, that beautiful moment finally arrived. We brought Ruby home to La Jolla, where her parents were still present. She spread her wings, flew back to the cliffs where she had grown up and immediately reunited with her family.
It was one of the most magical moments of my life.
Having known Ruby since she was an egg, watched her grow, helped rescue her and visited her throughout her recovery, I feel we’ve developed a special bond. Even now, there are moments when she pauses and looks directly at me and I can’t help but wonder whether she remembers me and what we went through together.
To me, Ruby isn’t simply another gull. She’s a remarkable individual with her own personality, family, and life story.
Ruby’s rescue represents everything Wildlife Jewels stands for: continuously monitoring and documenting wildlife, watching over their well-being, recognizing signs of distress before it’s too late and responding with compassion to give a precious life a second chance. To me, every wildlife is a precious, irreplaceable jewel, just like Ruby. Every life matters, and we must do everything within our power to protect them and give them the chance to thrive in the wild.
What are your hopes and aspirations for Wildlife Jewels? Where do you see your organization in five years?
My vision is for Wildlife Jewels to become a leading wildlife conservation organization bringing together science, technology, art, education and direct action to protect wildlife locally and globally.
My immediate priority is to strengthen our rescue operations in La Jolla, where we encounter an urgent and growing need for wildlife emergency response. I dream of establishing sustainable, full-time daily rescue coverage here, with the trained responders, equipment, transportation and resources needed to help birds when they need us most.
From this foundation, I hope to expand our rescue network to other coastal wildlife emergency hotspots throughout San Diego, Orange County and eventually Los Angeles.
I also envision growing EYES into a comprehensive, data-driven wildlife monitoring and early-warning network. Beyond identifying animals in distress, the scientific data we collect, including fishing-gear entanglement trends and locations, can help inform conservation policies, prevention strategies and stronger protections for wildlife.
Another dream close to my heart is to establish a dedicated seabird sanctuary in the area, providing a safe, lifelong home for non-releasable seabirds that cannot return to the wild.
Beyond rescue, I want Wildlife Jewels to inspire future generations through art, science, education and conservation to value living wildlife and protect them.
Ultimately, my vision extends beyond seabirds.
My dream for Wildlife Jewels Rescue Crew is simple, even if achieving it is extraordinarily difficult: I want to save them all.
I know we cannot guarantee that every life will be saved, but I want to build a future where no animal in distress is overlooked simply because help isn’t available.
