Baby Season Spring 2022
Young Virginia Opossum enjoying a grape.
The past month has been busy. Baby season is in full swing. We are caring for over 130 patients and more arrive each day. It is common for us to have 300 patients at a time during the peak season. We have taken in over 900 orphaned and injured animals already this year. Soon, we will receive hundreds of orphaned songbirds and more and more squirrels, chipmunks, ducklings, and rabbits will also arrive. We are open every day. Our staff and volunteers have gone on 58 rescues and we have taken over 2,300 calls from the public looking for help with wildlife situations.
During the past week, we have received seven fawns. Sadly, three were seriously injured with fractures to legs and even a jaw and had to be humanely euthanized. While we want to help heal and release every patient brought to us, that is just not possible. When an animal is suffering from an incurable condition or disease, is in pain and often even near death when they arrive, the only choice we have is to release them in a different way and end that suffering. We hate that every rescue doesn’t end in a return to the wild, but we are grateful that we can reduce suffering and ease transitions for these animals.
But, we focus on the positive. The other four are healthy and eating well. They will be with us all summer and more will likely arrive soon. It is not unusual for us to raise 8 to 10 orphaned fawns each summer.
Young fawns receive specialized formula and are trained to use a bottle rack to limit human interaction.
Feeding our wildlife patients is expensive and makes up a large part of our annual budget. Currently, we have 11 orphaned weasels, 3 Great horned owlets, and 8 Barn owlets that are eating LOTS of mice. These patients are consuming 95 mice daily, at a cost of $125 per day.
Barn owlets that were found on a hay truck and brought to us for care.
Orphaned weasels when they first arrived. Soon they grew big enough for solid food.
Weasels growing bigger and eating a LOT!
We appreciate your continues support of our efforts to rescue, rehabilitate, and release the wildlife patients entrusted to our care. Whether you are making regular donations, sending us supplies from our wish list, supporting our fundraising efforts, or shopping for items from our website – thank you! For more than 40 years, we have been here, and you have made that possible.
We hope you will Save The Date for our fundraiser this fall. Due to the continued uncertainty of an in-person event, we will be holding our annual fundraiser as an online virtual gala. There are sponsorship opportunities, and we are collecting items for our auction. Let us know if you are interested in sponsoring our event or have items to donate to the auction.
Orphaned Mallards
SHOP TO SUPPORT
Our website has new items for sale. Check out our "adoptable" animals! Your purchase of these items directly support our efforts.
