Paws and Claws Animal Encounters

12/05/2025

The cutest little snow bunny.

12/04/2025

12/04/2025

Sage deciding if she would like to come out in the snow or stay inside her heated house.

12/03/2025

Happy World Coatimundi Day. We celebrate ours a little extra today. Our South American, also known as “Mountain” coatimundis, are native to the Andes Mountain Range. This particular subspecies of coatimundi can and do occasionally experience snow in their high altitude ranges vs the other subspecies of coatis that live in tropical regions.
Our coatis had some fun in the snow but have access to a warm and dry barn.

12/03/2025

Happy Hump Day.
While once wild and found in the Arabian Peninsula, Dromedary Camels are now considered completely domesticated. The only population of dromedary camels that exhibit any wild behaviors is an introduced feral population in Australia.

12/03/2025

Today is Giving Tuesday! And we're very happy to announce who would be a great organization to give to!

You should watch the video, but we'll spoil the surprise with a link for you.

Ohio Wildlife Center

Thanks so much for watching!

12/02/2025

So many snow day pictures coming your way, but for now enjoy this picture of our beautiful raccoon, Crow in the snow.

Some of you may be thinking about summer already, our June-August dates will be posted later this week or at the very beginning of next. Keep an eye out.

12/01/2025

It’s National Christmas Lights Day. Here are some otters to brighten your day.

I absolutely love the magic that Christmas lights bring, I try to go to the zoo every year to see the Wild Lights, and it always makes me smile to see them when I’m driving somewhere after dark.

However, I know that sometimes they can be bad for wildlife and the environment. Cheap lights consume a lot of energy, often end up in the landfill and the plastics aren’t biodegradable. Lights left on all night can also cause light pollution and disrupt nocturnal animals and birds.

So how can you make a positive impact with Christmas decorations?
🎄Switch to LED lights as they use up to 90% less energy to make or look for solar powered outdoor lights.
🎄Recycle lights that no longer work. Check for seasonal recycling programs or mail them to a specified recycling center that you can find online.
🎄Put the lights on a timer so that they turn off before midnight and back on shortly before the sun comes up.

12/01/2025

What a great long weekend we had. Thank you to everyone who came out. Stay warm tonight.

11/29/2025

This week we welcomed Harlow, the Eurasian Eagle Owl into our care. Harlow is 13 and suffered an irreversible injury to his wing and is not able to fly. While we hope he will be able to join Hootie one day, over the next few months we are going to make sure he is well adjusted to his keepers and his surroundings on his own terms.
Harlow’s temporary enclosure has lots of branches, ropes, and perches he can climb (more like shuffle) and use but he seems to like a particular spot on the ground. If you see him on the ground, please don’t be alarmed.

11/29/2025

Who are you rooting for today?

11/28/2025

All of us on the day after Thanksgiving.