Savage Hart

11/18/2025

Patient Update

This red-shouldered hawk’s journey began back in October with a pectoral girdle fracture—an injury that can significantly compromise survival. Through restricted activity, medications, and focused physical therapy, healing progressed exactly as needed. Radiographs confirmed the fracture was mending appropriately, and flight testing demonstrated strong, coordinated movement.

She also made sure we never forgot she was a wild raptor. Her defensive behavior kept our rehabbers on their toes, and her constant movement in the kennel made her presence known throughout her stay. And yes—she may or may not have seized a well-timed opportunity to bypass her handlers and cruise down the hallway, giving us a spirited reminder that her strength, awareness, and flight response were right on track.

This marks our first successful release under our new USFWS raptor rehabilitation permit, and we look forward to helping many more birds of prey return to their rightful place in the wild.
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If you’d like to learn more about our mission and support injured wildlife on their path to recovery, visit https://www.savagehartwildlife.org/

11/12/2025

What a day!

Our 2nd Annual Wild Open House & Fundraiser was such a success — and it’s all thanks to YOU! We had an incredible turnout, and our community truly came through with their generosity. Rooms were sponsored, supplies were donated, and our Giving Tree is blooming with leaves and animals!

A special thank-you to Cpl. Eric Isom and K-9 Bo from the Georgia DNR for their amazing educational demonstration — it was a highlight of the day!

You can still be part of this event! Make a donation to our Giving Tree, and we’ll add your name or a special message to our wall. It’s a daily reminder of the compassion and encouragement that keep our team going. We also still have a few room sponsorships available for those who’d like to make a greater impact on local wildlife rehabilitation.

Visit our event webpage to learn more. https://www.savagehartwildlife.org/openhouse/

11/07/2025

This opossum wants to know… are you joining us TOMORROW for our 2nd Annual Wild Open House & Fundraiser? No wildlife will be present (our patients need their rest!), but we’ve got plenty of fun waiting for the whole family. Take a rare, behind-the-scenes tour of our wildlife clinic, meet the team who makes it all happen, and enjoy an exciting K-9 demonstration by a Georgia DNR Game Warden!

While you’re here, help our Giving Tree grow by leaving your name on a leaf with a donation — every gift helps us continue caring for Georgia’s injured and orphaned wildlife. We also still have a few room sponsorships available for those who want to make an even greater impact.

Can’t make it to the event? You can still be part of it by visiting our event webpage to make a contribution and support local wildlife rehabilitation.
https://savagehartwildlife.org/openhouse/

11/05/2025

Our clinic doors may close at 5 p.m., but the work never stops.

We recently accepted an adult gray fox that had been found bedded down in a resident’s backyard. After making several calls to different agencies, the finders made the long drive of more than two hours to bring him to our clinic for evaluation.

We treated him to reduce pain and suffering and monitored him overnight with cameras to ensure he remained comfortable and stable. When neurological symptoms continued, our collaborating veterinarian, Dr. Carey, met us at the clinic after 9 p.m. on a Sunday evening to provide further treatment.

Wildlife rehabilitation often means long hours, difficult decisions, and care that extends far beyond the regular workday. It also means compassion from members of the public who go to great lengths to help, from dedicated professionals like Dr. Carey who give their time after hours, and from all of us who answer the call when the wild needs us most.

Thank you for helping us be there for Georgia’s native wildlife, day and night.
We’re deeply grateful for everyone who plays a part in helping Georgia’s native wildlife.
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Want to help perpetuate our mission? Visit https://www.savagehartwildlife.org/how-to-help/

11/03/2025

Rehab gym day for this southern flying squirrel! 💪🐿️

Enrichment like this wheel helps build strength, balance, and coordination — all vital for a successful release. We currently have two juveniles in care, one recovering from pneumonia. Once fully healed, they’ll be introduced and spend the winter here before returning to the wild in spring.

10/29/2025

Another Gopher Tortoise in Care

On a dusty road within Fort Benning, an adult gopher tortoise was found overturned with a fractured shell from an apparent vehicle strike. Luckily, a member of the Fort Benning Natural Resources team recognized the urgency and acted quickly by contacting us and transporting the tortoise to our clinic for treatment.

After the initial exam and triage, it was determined that the tortoise required veterinary intervention. A tortoise’s shell is living bone, and fractures like these are painful. To ensure a pain-free procedure, our collaborating veterinarian anesthetized the tortoise while we spent several hours carefully realigning and securing the broken carapace. The fractures will take months to heal, but timely intervention gives this keystone species a real chance at recovery.

Each gopher tortoise burrow shelters hundreds of other animals, from frogs and lizards to small mammals, making every individual critical to the health of Georgia’s longleaf pine ecosystem.

With continued care and monitoring, we hope to return this tortoise to its burrow, where it belongs.
Your support makes rescues like this possible.

10/27/2025

We’re just weeks away from our 2nd Annual Wild Open House & Fundraiser!

This free, family-friendly event offers a rare opportunity to get an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at our wildlife rehabilitation clinic, which is normally closed to the public due to state regulations. Don’t miss this one-time chance to see where injured and orphaned wild animals receive expert care before returning to the wild.

We’ve been operating in our new clinic for just over a year, and your support has already helped us accomplish so much. Come take a tour, enjoy GA DNR Game Warden K-9 demonstrations, meet our dedicated team, and learn how your contributions help us continue saving Georgia’s native wildlife.

Want to go the extra mile? Support our mission by bringing a monetary donation, sponsoring a room, or donating in-kind goods! We’re always in need of paper towels, laundry detergent, dishwasher detergent, bleach, Dawn® dish soap, cotton balls, and unflavored Pedialyte.

Mark your calendar for November 8th, and join us for a wild, good time!

Join us for our annual Open House and Fundraiser — Your chance to step behind the scenes and see how your support helps Georgia’s wildlife heal and return home.

10/16/2025

Exciting Announcement!

We’re proud to share that Savage Hart is now federally permitted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to rehabilitate raptors. This authorization fills a critical gap in our region’s wildlife care network. Our data show that, after mammals, birds of prey represent the second most common class of wildlife admitted to our clinic, many requiring immediate medical attention. Until now, we have been limited to triaging and transporting these birds to other facilities, a process that requires significant coordination and often delays treatment. With this new permit, we can now provide comprehensive rehabilitation and prepare these vital predators for release back into the wild.

Our first patient under this new authorization is a red-shouldered hawk found on the roadside in Cataula after a vehicle strike—one of the leading causes of raptor admissions nationwide. The hawk presented with head trauma and a fracture within the pectoral girdle. After several days of supportive care and medical treatment, the neurological symptoms have resolved and appetite has returned—encouraging signs of recovery.

We are honored to expand our mission to include raptors and look forward to contributing to the long-term health and conservation of Georgia’s birds of prey.
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Help make recoveries like this possible. Your donation supports the ongoing care of this red-shouldered hawk and other patients currently in treatment. Give today and be part of our mission to return Georgia’s wildlife to the wild.

10/13/2025

Today’s rescue was made possible thanks to the generous support of Project AnimalAid, whose donated medical table, light, gloves, and surgical tools help us safely care for injured and entangled wildlife like this Eastern kingsnake.

This patient was discovered caught in garden netting, a common hazard for snakes and other wild animals. After carefully removing the netting, we monitored the snake before successfully releasing it back into its natural habitat. Eastern kingsnakes are a protected species in Georgia and play a vital role in maintaining balance in our ecosystem by keeping rodent populations in check and even preying on venomous snakes.

Thank you, Project AnimalAid, for providing the essential tools that help wildlife rehabilitators save lives every day.

10/10/2025

Licensed to Heal 🩺🐾

Did you know it’s illegal to care for wildlife in Georgia without a permit — even with the best intentions?

Wildlife rehabilitation in Georgia is a regulated field designed to protect both wildlife and people, ensuring injured and orphaned animals receive care that meets the highest standards of safety and professional care.

In Georgia, rehabilitators must pass a state exam through Georgia's Department of Natural Resources, demonstrate proper housing and care during annual inspections, and work under the supervision of a collaborating veterinarian. Those permitted to care for Rabies Vector Species (RVS) — including foxes, raccoons, skunks, and bats — must also pass an additional exam to prove competency in handling and public safety protocols.

At Savage Hart, we go above and beyond these requirements. Our team follows strict biosecurity measures to prevent the spread of disease between patients and people, and we pursue continuing education and international certifications through the National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association (NWRA) and International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council (IWRC). These programs help us stay current with wildlife medicine, best practices, regulations, and emerging disease outbreaks.

Together, Laura and Tiffani bring over 20 years of combined experience rehabilitating native wildlife. Every permit we hold represents years of study, hands-on training, and a shared commitment to doing things the right way — for the animals and the ecosystems we protect.

When you see an animal in our care, you can trust it’s being treated by qualified, licensed, and compassionate professionals dedicated to giving wildlife a second chance at life in the wild.

10/08/2025

As promised...😹