Blog

stories from the Sanctuary

Two gloved hands hold up a black ratsnake. Its head sticks out of a tangled mess of black mesh garden netting.

June 12, 2025

June’s Patient of the Month came to us last Friday in quite the predicament. Meet patient 25-356, an Eastern Ratsnake who came to RWS literally tangled up in knots! 🪢

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May 30, 2025

As birds flit to and from their nests, fox kits dash around their dens, and humans call the RWS hotline all day long, one species is taking things slow…very slow. Cumbersomely slow, in fact. We’re talking, of course, about the charming Common Snapping Turtle!

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A small red fox kit the size of a football sits on a white sheet inside of a blue plastic tote tub.

May 16, 2025

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We spent late March wondering, “Where are the fox kits?!” Typically, we admit our first orphaned kits shortly after the spring equinox. While opossums and baby songbirds began pouring in, our rabies-vector species nursery was comparably quiet. Until…

Three Eastern Phoebes perch on a log. The middle one looks at the camera with its beak open.

April 29, 2025

There are new residents at Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary, and they’re neither orphaned patients nor education ambassador animals. They’re Eastern Phoebe parents-to-be!

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An infant eyes-closed raccoon kit lies on its belly on top of a teal mat. Its striped tail sticks straight up behind him.

April 16, 2025

As temperatures rise and animals begin raising their young, we’re seeing a familiar wave of “firsts” roll in: the first squirrels, the first baby cottontails, and, of course, the first raccoon kit. 🦝

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Allegheny Woodrat in an enclosure at Rockfish Willdife Sanctuary

March 27, 2025

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Spring has sprung, and all sorts of creatures are coming out of the woodwork…literally. 😆 One of those critters arrived as a patient earlier this month and inspired March’s Critter Corner. Meet the elusive and oh-so-charming Allegheny Woodrat! It began how most stories from the Sanctuary do: with a call to our wildlife hotline. ☎️ That […]

Three infant squirrels cuddle up in an incubator.

March 13, 2025

These babies were stuck between a rock and a…bulldozer?! Meet our featured patients this month: Eastern Gray Squirrels 25-010, 011, and 012!

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An orphaned baby skunk is bundled in a towel in the nursery at Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary.

February 15, 2025

Ah, February—the season of love!
Chocolates, roses, romantic dinners… and the unmistakable scent of skunk? 👃

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February 7, 2025

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Our Hugs or Bugs fundraiser is BACK by popular demand this season of love. Learn more about how to celebrate (or get revenge!) with the help of our critters at RWS.

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