Dear Wildwoods Friends and Family,

Another year is in the books! This was a wild one, and we couldn’t have done it without your support and the daily assistance from our volunteers! As of November 18, we have admitted and cared for 1,025 orphaned, injured, and sick wild animals representing 125 different species; responded to 1,150 inquiries regarding animals in potential distress; and provided 17 educational programs.

What happens in the natural world is reflected behind our doors. Last year’s warm winter gave us early spring babies, and the long summer gave us late animal babies! Due to the early and late arrival of these furry and feathered babies, our workload changed significantly, and our busy season expanded.

Even as we take a breath after the departure of the squeaking squirrels, chirping birds, and quacking ducklings, we are admitting injured raptors, birds, and adult mammals. Flip this page over to see some of their stories!

This summer saw major improvements in housing and equipment for the animals! They enjoyed their new, larger outdoor enclosures; we built two new oxygen chambers to accommodate eagles and large mammals who are in respiratory distress; we purchased additional incubators to handle the increase in nestlings and to provide newborn mammals with this specialized care; and we created a quarantine room for ducklings, along with brand new brooders!

As usual, we are not done with infrastructure improvements yet!

Over this winter we will:

• Upgrade our technology. Using Point-to-Point technology, we will expand internet services to our nursery. This will allow us to add wi-fi cameras to each of our rooms, and to our outdoor enclosures. The cameras will help us to monitor the animals and observe their actions outside of human presence.
• Expand Lab Space for our Certified Veterinary Technician. We will be remodeling our basement in order to expand the lab area for our CVT. Her lab work with fecal and blood samples is critical to the health of the animals in our care.
• Air Exchangers and Cooling. We will be installing high-grade air exchangers in our clinic and quarantine room for adequate ventilation. This will create a healthier environment for our staff and the animals in these rooms. Additionally, we will be installing a cooling system in the nursery. It is not uncommon for the nursery to hit 90 degrees in the summer!
• Nursery Maintenance. With so many animals in care, the floors and walls need to be completely redone. We did half of the nursery last winter, and look forward to completing the other half this winter!

Everything we do at Wildwoods is in service to these animals. And we cannot do this without your support! Every dollar we raise in this appeal is directed toward the care of the animals in 2025.

Thank you for caring!

Jessica LaBumbard
Executive Director

This North American Porcupine baby was a surprise to us! She is a late season baby who was found alone in someone’s yard, unable to climb a tree. She is currently at Wildwoods and will stay with us until she demonstrates that she is able to fully care for herself. She will likely be with us until springtime.

She is a hands-off animal. Porcupines can habituate quite easily, so we will be keeping our distance, yet keeping a close eye on her using our new cameras.

This Golden Eagle was a first for our current staff! A family in Esko saw this beautiful bird sitting in their backyard, and brought him to us.

Golden eagles do not breed in this area; they breed in Canada and Alaska, and migrate during fall migration. They will often overwinter in southeast Minnesota and southwest Wisconsin (bluff country). Juvenile bald eagles are often mistaken for golden eagles, but this guy is the real deal.

Sadly, this eagle did not make it. When he arrived to us, he was skinny, and was not bright and alert. Based on signs and behavior, we suspect that this gorgeous animal succumbed to disease or lead poisoning.

More late babies! These Western Painted Turtles were found just after hatching and taken inside. By the time they came to us, it was too late to send them back to their place of origin so that they could brumate in the wild. Now, they too will be spending the winter with us. Our first effort is to help them brumate, and if that fails, we will keep them awake in our nursery for the winter.

This Great-Horned Owl was found by the side of the road. The owl was thin, quiet, and his mentation was off. Due to the location this beautiful animal was found, we suspect head trauma caused by being hit by a car.

Raptors such as this owl are triaged and given emergency care at Wildwoods. They stay with us (hydrated, warmed, medicated, and fed) until we can transport them to The Raptor Center so that they can receive the advanced care that they deserve.