Coulee Region Humane Society Wildlife Rehabilitation

12/02/2025

Here is an update on the Goose Island Barred Owl. Remember she was found entangled in fishing line hanging upside down for who knows how long before we had help rescuing her. I’m saying her because the weight puts her into the female bracket as females are about 25% larger than males.
She has been eating on her own since day one and is doing great in our care. Our Vet came recently to examine those feathers and make a plan for the imping. (Feather replacement) We took pictures and determined that 8 or 9 flight feathers will need to be replaced and possibly 1 tail feather. To best describe bird feathers is comparing them to a thick straw. They are hollow and very stiff so like a straw, when you bend it it will kink and not go back to shape. She would not be able to take flight without this procedure. Or it would take a very long time to molt and grow in. This will allow for a faster return back home.
I will do updates hopefully showing the imping on her next week.
This is another reason why giving Tuesday is so important. Helps us to keep doing and giving the best possible care to those who need our help mostly due to human encounters.
Thank you for caring.

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11/30/2025

Please keep us in mind for this coming Tuesday.
Take a look at needed items from our wish list, or consider a monetary donation for specific needs. The animals so appreciate your support.

The meaning of “Giving Tuesday”

Giving Tuesday is an annual global day of generosity that occurs the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving, designed to counter the consumerism of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. It is a movement to encourage people to give back to their communities through financial donations, volunteering, fundraising, and acts of kindness

https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/crhswildlife

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11/27/2025

Thanks for being a top engager and making it on to my weekly engagement list! 🎉

Marianne Guist, Megan Ducay, Kelcie Fortney, Vicki Elwood, Finnegan Pearl

11/27/2025

Giving Thanks to you all for supporting us

11/26/2025

2nd station picked up the story. Every once in a while a good deed goes viral. That’s what the finder told me today. He said it was so unexpected to see how much attention a genuine good deed got.

11/25/2025

Thank you to all who helped us get this owl down and in for care.

11/24/2025

Update on yesterday's Goose Island Owl. The owl was found dangling from fishing line upside down in a tree hanging a little over the waters edge. One of our staff and some members of the public helped get this owl out of that situation. First of all, thank you all for staying around and caring to help this owl out.
The owl will be examined by our veterinarian Dr. Johnson. We did not feel any fractures; however I'm sure it is sore from hanging for who knows how long trying to free itself. After examining the feather condition we will decide on a plan. If they will recover on their own over time we will house the owl until then. If she is a candidate for replacing the feathers, we will do that. It is a process called imping. Very fascinating, they will replace feathers either molted from another owl or from a deceased one.
Here are a couple pictures of intake so you can see how damaged the feathers got along with a few cuts on one foot. Please remember that what we leave behind can harm the animals out there. I can only guess this was unintentional, but try to pull this line out of branches if stuck. Had this not been a spot where people walk often, this owl would have not had a chance of survival.

Please keep us in mind for any monetary donations to help for the care of this beautiful owl and many other wild animals in our care. Thank you

https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/crhswildlife

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11/23/2025

11/21/2025

Of course a post on skunks during winter:

I don’t have to introduce her to you all. BUT, for those of you who don’t know her. This is Miss Flower. She is one of our educational ambassadors here at the shelter. Flower is an amazing representative for her species.
I bet you are all wondering: What do skunks do during the cold winter months?
Well, here are some facts on that topic.

In summer months, you may know when a striped skunk has been around, due to their famous scent left behind. (but only when threatened) However in winter, these animals make themselves scarce, they typically hunker down to wait out the onslaught of ice, snow, and fridged temps.

The striped skunk spends the fall eating as much as possible so it can stay warm during their mid-winter dormancy. This heavy eating creates thick layers of fat underneath the skin– kind of like a winter jacket. The skunk metabolizes this fat during their dormant times, but at a much slower rate than they do in summer.

Striped skunks rely on different den sites at different times of year, their winter den will usually not be the same place where they raised their young in spring. While capable of digging their own winter burrows, skunks are more inclined to seek out ones that may be abandoned by someone else.

Once the colder temperatures start to set in, a skunk will prepare its den by blocking off the entrance with leaves and grass to keep the cold air out. It isn’t uncommon for striped skunks to den up with each other for extra warmth – these cohabitating skunks have the advantage of group thermoregulation, where they use each other to stay warm. Males sometimes den communally during winter but are not very tolerant of each other during other times of the year.
Winter den season in Wisconsin typically runs from November through March, but it’s not to say that skunks aren’t active during winter. Once settled into its winter home, they become dormant, but they do not enter a full state of hibernation. Instead, skunks enter a state of “torpor” – a sort of deep sleep which they awake from time to time. During torpor, which is influenced mostly by the temperature and food availability, their body temperatures can drop 20 degrees and their metabolism slows. You may see them out during the winter months searching for food.
Now you know. 😊
As you can see, Flower does not need a cold den site. LOL

11/20/2025

Big shout out to my newest top fans! 💎

Marissa Mundinger, Sherry Turner, Kati Theres, Marcena Sandvick, Taia Kasch, Carlton Clark, Ranee Lakey, Valerie Rose, Cindi McMullin

Drop a comment to welcome them to our community,

11/18/2025

Here we have 2 examples of how strange our world can be and how much we do not know yet.

Both of these animals are with us right now. One is Amelia our resident Southern Flying Squirrel and the other is a young female Opossum that came to us as a baby and will be with us all winter.

Did you know that Flying squirrels and Opossums glow bright pink under a UV or Blacklight? The Opossum also has this bright blueish-teal color by the scent glands down the neck.
How cool, but why?

First question is, can they? Answer is, yes. The pink is caused by the opossums’ or squirrels' ability to fluoresce, which is what happens when light is absorbed in one wavelength and emitted in another.

The next question is: What purpose could this fluorescence serve? Humans can't see ultraviolet wavelengths except under special lighting. But other animals can.
One theory suggests the pink is used to confuse predators. Birds of prey hunt flying squirrels, among other mammals like opossums. Perhaps they are mimicking plants and insects who also glow, so as not to be eaten by them?
So, maybe the pink glow helps a flying squirrel or opossum escape from predators. Or maybe it helps them find a mate. Those are just a couple of the possibilities.

Now you know. 😊