Here's a short glimpse from one of our recent mallard releases! They came to WINC as tiny little orphaned babies, and now they are all grown up and ready to start their lives in the wild! #MallardMonday #wildliferehabilitation #wildlifeinneedcenter
After a donation came in with a bag full of steel cans missing labels, we wanted to bring a little mystery to our social media! Our goal is to do a weekly can opening to see what's inside. To start off the mystery we have Chase on the case! Come back next week for another unboxin- we mean- uncanning video!
Watch on our Youtube Channel: https://youtu.be/l4enkIVSdBc
It’s a feeding frenzy!
These cute Painted Turtles are enjoying nutritious pellets that will help them grow as their shells harden.
They were found shortly after hatching and unfortunately, they were (for lack of a better word) “turtlenapped” while they were heading to the water.
Turtles have very specific needs, not only nutritional but also the conditions of their environment. If these needs are not met, it will impact their health and likely their survival.
Sadly, these little guys were kept for several weeks without proper nutrition, lighting or temperature. Unfortunately, this led to deficiencies that prevented their shells from hardening.
Unfortunately, we see situations like these often, which is (another) reason why wild turtles should not be kept as “pets”. Please, do not “turtlenap” our important Wisconsin native turtles. You can help a hatchling reach water by helping them get across roads (in the direction they were heading) and by making sure they are not picked up by dogs along the way. They deserve to live free and contribute to their species and natural ecosystem.
It’s a feeding frenzy!
These cute Painted Turtles are enjoying nutritious pellets that will help them grow as their shells harden.
They were found shortly after hatching and unfortunately, they were (for lack of a better word) “turtlenapped” while they were heading to the water.
Turtles have very specific needs, not only nutritional but also the conditions of their environment. If these needs are not met, it will impact their health and likely their survival.
Sadly, these little guys were kept for several weeks without proper nutrition, lighting or temperature. Unfortunately, this led to deficiencies that prevented their shells from hardening.
Unfortunately, we see situations like these often, which is (another) reason why wild turtles should not be kept as “pets”. Please, do not “turtlenap” our important Wisconsin native turtles. You can help a hatchling reach water by helping them get across roads (in the direction they were heading) and by making sure they are not picked up by dogs along the way. They deserve to live free and contribute to their species and natural ecosystem.
Ambassadors Enjoy Service Berry Enrichment
There's nothing our ambassadors love more than when we can provide natural vegetation for enrichment! Service berries are a natural food source for many Wisconsin animals, so when one of our animal care volunteers offered to bring in branches after trimming her service berry tree, we jumped at the chance to give our education team something new to investigate in their enclosures! Watch these short clips of Lenny, Jewel, Chase, Leu, Aspen, Acorn, and Willow enjoying their treats.
Watch on our YouTube: https://youtu.be/Q-c6kA6W_BY
#WildlifeRehab #WildlifeRehabilitation #WisconsinWildlife #Opossum #BoxTurtle #Skunk #FlyingSquirrel #Woodchuck #Groundhog #WildlifeInNeedCenter
This month we have released fourteen goslings with wild families. Twelve of these goslings were found alone with no family in site. While the other two were admitted due to injuries. One of them was picked up and dropped by a hawk resulting in multiple puncture wounds. The other had multiple abrasions after his entire family was hit by a car, sadly he was the only survivor.
While none of these goslings were able to return to their parents, they were still able to return to the wild. Canada Geese are great parents and are even willing to take in goslings that are not biologically theirs. #wildlifeinneedcenter #successtorysaturday #wildliferehabitation
Another day, another video of baby animals! Today we are sharing this group of opossums. Each joey has painted ears to help our animal care team accurately track weights and administer any medicines.
Watch on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/8rbc4MSXbX8
#WildlifeRehab #WildlifeRehabilitation #Opossum #WildlifeInNeedCenter #WisconsinWildlife
For this #MallardMonday, we wanted to share a release video of this handsome male mallard! He was in care for about 6 weeks whille being treated for lead toxicity.
Lead toxicity can happen from ingesting lead from the environment and the lead enters the bloodstream. Lead is a toxic metal, an environmental contaminant, and a nerve poison; even trace amounts can be enough to cause seizures, organ failure, paralysis and death. Although it has been largely discontinued in things like paint and water pipes, it is still used for fishing sinkers and bullets, causing a threat to wildlife when it is left behind in the environment.
We are so happy that he was able to recover and return back to his home in the wild!
#wildlifeinneedcenter #wildliferehabilitation
We dare you to watch this video and not say "aww"!
Watch on our Youtube Channel and check out our other fun animal videos: https://youtu.be/70Syagzzf18
#Goslings #WildlifeRehab #SillySunday #WildlifeInNeedCenter #HelpingWildlife
Spring is always a busy time of year here, and this year is no different. Not only have we been busy with all the new incoming patients, but we have also been extremely busy with releases. So far this month we have released 36 animals back to the wild.
#wildlifeinneedcenter #freedomfriday #wildliferehabilition
Two weeks ago we posted about a great horned owl renesting. This is almost a yearly occurance as windstorms, tree trimming, and other disturbances can knock owlets from their nest.
We are doing a #ThrowbackThursday this week to another renesting in 2019, this one involved a nest cam to make sure the chicks were reunited with their parents.
Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/B08HOurrBI8?si=XKCQLIUD8pvKbDNA
#WildlifeRehab #WildlifeInNeedCenter #GreatHornedOwl #OwlRescue
Happy #FreedomFriday! Here's our recent Virginia Opossum patient heading off to freedom back to her home in the wild!
In case you missed her story we’ve previously shared, she came in back in late January. She was very thin, lethargic, and was observed eating the rock salt off the ice around her. Besides being hypothermic, she had frostbite on her toes, ears and tail. Not long after admission she started showing signs of salt toxicity, which can cause irreparable damage to the brain if not caught and treated early.
For the first 24 hours she required around the clock care, including treatments done in the middle of the night, by our dedicated staff. For the next week we closely monitored her for any neurologic symptoms and continued providing supportive care. Luckily for this opossum, help had arrived just in time and there was no evidence of permanent brain damage. Once stable, she was taken to our veterinarian, Dr. Bloss, at Brook-falls Veterinary Hospital & Exotic Care Inc. to amputate the tip of her tail that was damaged due to frostbite.
After a few months recovering in our care, she was ready to return home!
#VirginiaOpossum #wildliferehabilitation #wildlifeinneedcenter
Our mammal nursery is getting busy as more infant patients arrive. This infant Eastern Gray Squirrel is one of many currently being cared for in our nursery. This young female is 1 of 4 siblings that were found in siding that was dropped off at a scrap yard. Unfortunately, due to the siding material being dropped off from an unknown location, we were not able to reunite these babies with their mom.
This infant is being fed a very specialized formula that is made just for squirrels. This is important to remember because if you find an infant wild animal please do not feed it! Giving it cow, goat, puppy, kitten or any other milk can be extremely detrimental to their growth and digestive system and in extreme circumstances it can be fatal. It is better to not feed them anything and get them to your local licensed wildlife rehabilitator as soon as possible.
Infants are also at risk of aspiration (the inhalation of fluid into the lungs) when being hand fed. Our staff and volunteers have been trained in how to safely feed them, so please do not attempt this yourself. If you find an infant mammal in need of help, please contact your local wildlife rehabilitator for instructions on what to do. We make every effort to reunite the babies with mom whenever possible. Their best chance of survival is with their mother!
#wildlifeinneedcenter #wildliferehabilition #Infantsquirrels
Good morning, we hope everyone is having a happy #LazySunday! In case you needed some relaxing inspiration, we wanted to share this video of Willow enjoying her lunchtime, while completely relaxed!
Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/DgpcT4ISLlI
A March snow flurry can be a fun surprise to wake up to, but for local birds it can be very stressful and even dangerous. We are in the beginning of spring migration, the most difficult time for birds to survive. Help out your local wildlife by putting out extra food while this weather continues. Birds like robins that forage on the ground are especially vulnerable. High protein foods like waxworms, earthworms, dried mealworms, suet or high quality soaked dog or cat food gives them the energy they need to stay warm. Chopped berries (fresh or frozen) dried cherries, and chopped apples helps round out nutritional needs.
If you find a bird that needs more than just food, call your local rehabber for advice or to bring them in for professional care.
Your local feathered friends will thank you!
We recently released this adult male Virginia Opossum! He was admitted after someone found him at a park during the day moving slowly. The finders thought he may be injured, so they carefully contained him and brought him to WINC. Upon examination, staff determined he was uninjured and he was in decent body condition. We suspect he was out foraging for food during the day after a cold snowy night. He stayed with us for a brief period to be monitored, was fed nutritious meals, and was treated for parasites. He was then ready to return back to his home in the wild!
Did you know that Virginia Opossums are North America's only marsupial? Virginia Opossums also have a prehensile tail meaning they can use their tail to hold and grasp onto objects.
#freedomfriday #wildliferehabilitation #wildlifeinneedcenter #virginiaopossum
New Flying Squirrel Name Announcement
Acorn has been waiting to learn the name of her Valentine, there was a flurry of last minute voting but now it has been tallied up! Thank you to everyone who donated towards picking a name for our male flying squirrel. We raised $784.07 during this campaign, all of which goes towards our ambassadors and other Wisconsin animals in need of help.
And now, we have asked Chase to do the honors in announcing the winning name:
Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/EdrgUfdXfT4
#CuteAnimals #wildliferehab #FlyerFebruary #WisconsinWildlife
You still have time for our $5 Friday Fundraiser to help build a new home for our 2 new Southern Flying Squirrel ambassadors!
These two love to climb and explore, so we are sharing a video of the female in her first enclosure. She’s been upgraded twice, and with your help can have more space to live out the rest of her life in comfort with her new friend.
Your $5 will go a long way to help purchase the materials needed to build their new home!
$5 buys an 8-foot-long board for the base.
$10 for 5 bolts for the steel frame
$15 buys all the steel lock nuts
$20 for every steel support square
$25 buys the vinyl floor covering
$35 for a plywood sheet
$45 buys swivel wheels on the base of the enclosure to help with cleaning
Help us raise $1200 for their new custom-built home and keep our newest ambassadors safe!
Copy and paste this link to donate to their new home! https://helpingwildlife.networkforgood.com/projects/217445-5-friday-today-is-the-day-january-26-2024
Watch the video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/PM2CFWI4ius
#wildlifeinneedcenter #wildliferehab #FiveDollarFriday
