Missing Context in Picture of Coyote Grabbing Dog By Collar

People love taking stories and photos out of context to vilify wildlife. We’re honestly not sure what the motive is, but it happens all the time. You’ve likely seen the top photo in warnings on social media about how coyotes are dangerous, brutal hunters who love to kill domestic dogs. Sometimes the photo includes anContinue reading “Missing Context in Picture of Coyote Grabbing Dog By Collar”

Botflies: Why Lumpy Squirrels Don’t Need Help

Rehabbers get a lot of calls about lumpy squirrels, especially in summer! There are two common causes of lumps on squirrels: squirrelpox, a viral infection we’ll discuss in a separate post, and botflies, which are insects that develop in animals’ skin in the larval stage. When people find lumpy squirrels, they almost always feel thatContinue reading “Botflies: Why Lumpy Squirrels Don’t Need Help”

Don’t Feed Corn to Wild Animals

Please be careful about where your good intentions lead! Especially around this time of year, a lot of people will feed wildlife to try to help them prepare for winter. Because corn is cheap and is readily eaten by most mammals, it’s a common choice for supplemental food. Native wild animals don’t need our helpContinue reading “Don’t Feed Corn to Wild Animals”

Rethinking Tennessee’s Prairie Wolf

We think it’s way past time to rethink how people view coyotes in the Southeast. Often maligned and viewed as an invasive nuisance, they’re actually a critical part of our ecosystem just like their closely related predecessors, the red wolves. It’s nothing new for a closely related animal to fill in the gaps left whenContinue reading “Rethinking Tennessee’s Prairie Wolf”

Why Red Foxes are Red

To human eyes, a red fox’s flame-colored fur stands out starkly against vegetation, but— believe it or not!— red foxes actually evolved their characteristic coats as camouflage. Animals aren’t capable of producing green pigment. Animals that appear green actually depend on structural coloration, or the use of microscopic physical traits to reflect green light. Scales,Continue reading “Why Red Foxes are Red”