Blog

stories from the Sanctuary

Photo taken of a Virginia opossum from behind, showing its tail and back feet as it walks away from the camera.

January 24, 2025

Drumroll, please! šŸ„ Meet our newest, furriest “coworker” at Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary. Learn about her story, personality, and all the details of her naming contest!Ā 

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Three eastern screech owls sit squished together on a perch inside RWS's wildlife care nursery.

December 29, 2024

Our ED chats with our animal care staff about the patients that stuck with them the most in 2024.

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A hatchling Eastern Mud Turtle

December 13, 2024

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Meet our newest education ambassador: all two inches of her! This charming Eastern Mud Turtle joined the Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary team in the most unusual way.Ā 

A Wild Turkey poult looks at itself in a mirror inside a rehabilitation care facility.

November 26, 2024

Gobble, gobble, gobble,Snood, caruncle, and wattle!No idea what we just said? Keep reading this month’s Critter Corner. ā¬‡ļø As Thanksgiving approaches, turkeys take center stage in our minds and on some of our tables.  But Wild Turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo)  have been strutting through North Americaā€™s landscapes for millenniaā€”long before they became cultural icons. This month, we’re talkin’ turkeys! […]

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A Common Raven perches and looks out of its enclosure

October 31, 2024

Quoth the Raven, “NevermoreĀ Feed me more!” šŸ–¤ Our Patient of the Month this October is one of Edgar Allan Poe’s favorites: a Common Raven, known at RWS as patient 24-859. Fitting for spooOoOoOoky Halloween! šŸ‘» This beautiful patient arrived at the Sanctuary this summer after being rescued from a forest fire in Clarke County a […]

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A juvenile Virginia Opossum peeks out of its hide box at RWS.

October 17, 2024

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It’s the most magical day of the year: National Opossum Day! šŸŽ‰ You might be thinking, “A whole day dedicated to opossums? Really?!” In honor of our most marvelous marsupial neighbors, we’re shining this month’s Critter Corner spotlight on the fascinating Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) so you can learn about just how much these eco-superheroes do. […]

A black baby squirrel sleeping

September 26, 2024

September’s Patient of the Month is small, dark, and handsome. Meet 24-873, a melanistic Eastern Gray Squirrel currently in care at the Sanctuary.Ā  This fascinating baby squirrel arrived at RWS in mid-August after his nest was cut down by some folks doing tree work in Augusta County. Our friends at the Wildlife Center of Virginia transferred […]

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August 30, 2024

This month’s star critter is a bit different than the furry, scaly, and feathery species we’ve featured before.Ā This particular critter is bipedal, speaks French, and greets everyone with a smile and her trademark: “Hey, buddy!” Meet our founder, Nathou Attinger. Nathou announced her retirement from RWS earlier this past spring, and we interviewed her as […]

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Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. EIN 51-0498181.
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