We get an alarming number of calls this time of year with variations of this story: “I found a baby deer by itself. I went to the feed store and got all the stuff to take care of it. It’s been living in my house for two weeks. Now it’s weak. I think it’s dying.Continue reading “Raising a Fawn Can Go Terribly Wrong”
Category Archives: General Info
Why Rehabilitators Need You to Transport Animals
We know this is weird. When you call 911 about an injured person, they send paramedics. When you call animal control about an injured stray dog, they send an officer. When you call a wildlife rehabilitator about an injured animal, they… ask you to capture it and bring it to them. Yes, seriously! The reasonContinue reading “Why Rehabilitators Need You to Transport Animals”
Why Vaccinate Wildlife?
“Why vaccinate wildlife?” This is a question we hear a lot, and it’s fair enough. After all, animals don’t get vaccines in the wild. We like to put it this way: imagine a pandemic that is nearly 100% fatal and is as contagious as the common cold. Imagine it is contagious for about a weekContinue reading “Why Vaccinate Wildlife?”
10 Cool Facts About Armadillos
We ❤️ armadillos, especially our current nine-banded armadillo patient, Myron! Here are some especially cool and weird facts about these especially cool and weird animals. Armadillos have some of the largest penises, in proportion to their body size, of any mammal. Their penises are about 30-60% of their total body length. That’s the equivalent ofContinue reading “10 Cool Facts About Armadillos”
Beaver or Groundhog?
Beavers and groundhogs get mixed up often! It’s led to a few funny interactions. Once, we showed up to save a “beaver with something wrong with its tail,” only to find that the only thing wrong with her was that she was a groundhog— not meant to have a flat tail! Another time, a callerContinue reading “Beaver or Groundhog?”
Our Volunteer Policy
It’s me, the executive director! I’ve been getting a lot of emails and phone calls from people interested in volunteering! You’re all awesome, and I wish I could say yes, but there are tons of reasons why, unlike most rehabilitation facilities, we don’t allow on-site volunteers from the general public. The main thing? Insurance! WeContinue reading “Our Volunteer Policy”
Opossum Bites: Not So Scary!
Opossums get killed frequently for looking “scary” or “fierce,” but they’re actually much weaker and less intimidating than they look! An opossum has fifty pointy teeth— more than any other land mammal— and will use those chompers to try to scare people away when they’re frightened. While we don’t recommend getting bitten by any animals,Continue reading “Opossum Bites: Not So Scary!”
Are Coyotes Driving Deer to Extinction?
Every single time we share information about coyotes, we get a rush of people— mostly hunters— with claims that coyotes are driving whitetail deer to extinction. It’s a claim that would be laughable if it weren’t so dangerously harmful. Deer populations in the United States are at an all-time high nationwide, and so are coyoteContinue reading “Are Coyotes Driving Deer to Extinction?”
I Found a White Fox. Is it a Pet?
We’ve gotten many calls from across the country about foxes with white, black, or otherwise unusual coats, with the question, “Is this someone’s pet?” Despite their name, red foxes are some of the most variable animals on Earth, naturally coming in color phases including melanistic (black or “silver”), cross (red and black), leucistic (yellow orContinue reading “I Found a White Fox. Is it a Pet?”
Songbird Fever in Cats: A Warning
Have you seen the warnings we’ve posted about the salmonella epidemic affecting songbirds? There’s another side of it too, and it’s one I have firsthand experience with. I hope that this warning might save both birds and cats. This is my daughter, and this is her best friend, Happy. As an advocate for both wildlifeContinue reading “Songbird Fever in Cats: A Warning”
