Stratford Wildlife & Animal Services

10/07/2025

04/07/2025

03/07/2025

Are enjoying a few minutes of fireworks worth the life of an animal? The next time you decide to buy fireworks, please think of Murphy 💔

02/07/2025

The lights go out. The fireflies fade – not by fate, but by our hand.

Pesticides. Light pollution. Vanishing wild spaces.
The amber-star firefly nearly blinked out… until someone noticed.

There’s still time.
– Let your garden grow wild
– Turn off the floodlights
– Skip the chemical sprays
– Plant native species
– Protect the night

This isn’t just about nostalgia. It’s a signal. A responsibility. A flicker we can still keep alive.

Let it shine ✨

29/06/2025

Wildlife animals in need are at the mercy of their finders....
We see lives lost all the time because the animal’s finder lacked either the knowledge or the motivation to help during a critical time.

Be the finder that saves a life.

1. STOP - be willing to stop for a moment and observe the situation. If you think an animal is harmed or in danger, take the time to pull over or stop what you are doing to really take a look at the situation. If you think the animal may be deceased, watch for a minute to see if it is still breathing.

2. BE SAFE - don’t put yourself in a situation where the animal may bite or scratch you. This may not only harm you, but may result in the animal having to be euthanized for rabies testing.

3. ACT QUICKLY - If something doesn’t seem right, don’t wait hours or days to contact someone. You can always call a local wildlife rehabilitator and ask if this is a situation where an animal needs assistance, if you aren’t sure.

4. CALL YOUR LOCAL PERMITTED WILDLIFE REHABBER - Leave messages and text them. Be the animal’s advocate. Most state websites have a section where permitted wildlife rehabilitators are listed.

5. WARM, DARK, QUIET - If you can safely contain the animal, keep it in a warm, dark and quiet place until you can get it to someone who can help.

6. DON’T OFFER FOOD OR FLUIDS - Do not offer food or fluids unless asked to do so. In many circumstances, giving food or fluids can actually make things worse. For example, if an animal is hypothermic, it’s body can not process anything until it’s temperature is normalized.

7. BE WILLING TO DRIVE - Be willing to take the animal to where it needs to go. Time could be the difference between life and death. Remember most rehabbers have many animals in care so coming to pick up other animals would take away from those already in care.

8. CONSIDER DONATING - Wildlife rehabilitators are unpaid volunteers. Often, they use their personal funds to cover the cost of care. If you can spare it, it will be appreciated.

A finder’s quick response to an animal in need can often be the difference between life and death! 🙏🙏🙏

22/06/2025

You can ask for a drink if you’re thirsty, wildlife cannot. Please put fresh water out for them during this heatwave 🥵🔥

18/06/2025

How to Build a Firefly Sanctuary 💫

In many places, fireflies signal the onset of summer. But habitat loss, pesticide use, light pollution and other threats have put many of the world’s more than 2,000 species in decline. TNC protects large tracts of land to help support these bioluminescent insects.

You can help, too! Here are five ways to make an outdoor space firefly friendly:

1. ☠️ CUT THE PESTICIDES
Spraying with chemicals might get rid of pesky insects, but it also kills the
good guys, including fireflies and their larvae, which eat pests like slugs.

2. 🍂 EMBRACE A MESS
Fireflies love tall, unmowed grasses and organic matter like leaf litter and
branches—plus your soil will thank you.

3. 🌿 SUPPORT LOCAL
Prioritize native plants like grasses and wildflowers, and grow plants of
all shapes and sizes.

4. 💧 ADD A LITTLE H2O
Fireflies love water and moist soil—adding a water feature like a small pond or bog can attract many different species.

5. 💡 TURN OFF THE LIGHTS AND ENJOY
Fireflies blink in specific patterns to communicate with one another, and artificial lighting can disrupt them. Lose the lights and prepare to be dazzled by nature’s light show.
___

📸 Cristobal Saavedra Escobar/Reuters/Redux

16/06/2025

15/06/2025

What a beauty! 🖤