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When one squirrel is released, another arrives! 🔄 🌰 Shortly after we successfully released September’s Patient of the Month, a charming melanistic squirrel, we welcomed yet another unique baby. (Baby season ain’t over til the fat squirrel sings!) Meet Eastern Gray Squirrel 24-984, a slightly asymmetrical yet still adorable patient.  This young male squirrel originally arrived […]

Quoth the Raven, “Nevermore Feed me more!” 🖤 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! 👻 This beautiful patient arrived at the Sanctuary this summer after being rescued from a forest fire in Clarke County a […]

It’s the most magical day of the year: National Opossum Day! 🎉 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. […]

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.  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 […]

This month’s star critter is a bit different than the furry, scaly, and feathery species we’ve featured before. 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 […]

July’s Patient of the Month is a bit more punk rock than most of the species we treat, thanks to their crazy backstory and heavy metal look! 🤘👨‍🎤 Meet Chimney Swift 24-729. Being later season nesters, Chimney Swifts are often the last big wave of orphaned songbirds we get before the baby bird season begins to […]

We are so grateful to everyone who joined us at Paws Are The Cause with Ben Around Tattoos. With your help, we raised (drumroll please)…🥁🥁🥁 We are simply blown away! Did you catch our news coverage on NBC29? Check it out for scenes from the event! From June 29th to 30th, a team of generous […]

We’ve got an extra cool Critter Corner for you this month to round out June! The sun is shining, the days are warmer, and the reptiles are out. This includes copperhead snakes! We know copperhead snakes can bring out strong feelings for many people. Respect is all we ask for at RWS. You don’t need to […]

There’s one animal we always go particularly hog wild for at RWS! This month, we’re celebrating Virginia’s most spud-like species: the mighty helpful groundhog.