Animal Ambassadors

Virginia Opossum

Lenny was brought to WINC in May of 2022 after losing his mother to a vehicle collision. He was one of a litter of ¬five that were removed from moms pouch and brought to WINC for care. The whole litter had nutritional issues at a young age, which required an extended time on formula. Unfortunately, the two smallest in the group did not show appropriate wild behaviors, and were deemed non-releasable, so he and his brother Leucius are now Education Ambassadors here at WINC. Lenny’s mother and three siblings were the more common gray coloration, but Leucius is “leucistic.” Leucism is a recessive genetic condition resulting in a partial loss of pigmentation, which makes them completely white or with only patches of color. Leucism is not albinism, there can be a partial or complete loss of color/pigment, but their eyes will still be a normal (or blue) color.

Virginia Opossum

Leucius was brought to WINC in May of 2022 after losing his mother to a vehicle collision. He was one of a litter of five that were removed from moms pouch and brought to WINC for care. The whole litter had nutritional issues at a young age, which required an extended time on formula. Unfortunately, the two smallest in the group did not show appropriate wild behaviors, and were deemed non-releasable, so he and his brother “Lenny” are now Education Ambassadors here at WINC. Leucius’s mother and four siblings were the more common gray coloration, but Leucius is “leucistic.” Leucism is a recessive genetic condition resulting in a partial loss of pigmentation, which makes them completely white or with only patches of color. Leucism is not albinism, there can be a partial or complete loss of color/pigment, but their eyes will still be a normal (or blue) color.

Groundhog

Willow was placed at WINC from Fellow Mortals after she and her brother were admitted as orphaned infants. As she grew in the rehabilitation process, she never developed the wild instincts required to survive in the wild. Fellow Mortals goal is to release wildlife back to the wild – but in Willow’s case their team and veterinarian did not see the wild behaviors a groundhog needs to survive in the wild. The decision was made to find placement for her to be used for educational purposes and live out the rest of her days with her human caretakers. Everyone here is so thrilled to bring her to her new home, the Wildlife In Need Center.

Striped Skunk

Chase is a captive bred striped skunk that was born in May 2016. Wild striped skunks have a risk of carrying rabies and therefore cannot be rehabilitated in Wisconsin. Chase has been raised and cared for by our staff and will live permanently at the Wildlife in Need Center. As a frequently misunderstood species, he is an important addition to our education team.

Bullsnake

Meadow is a captive bred snake hatched in early 2013. She was donated to be used for education and joined our educational staff in the fall of 2013.

Eastern Fox Snake

Evie is a captive bred snake hatched in August of 2013. She had two years of dedicated foster care before being donated to WINC to join our education team in the fall of 2015.

Ornate Box Turtle

Jewel was found in a pet store in Milwaukee County. She was confiscated by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources in 2005 and offered to the Wildlife In Need Center as an education animal.

Western Painted Turtle

Antoinette was brought to the Wildlife In Need Center in fall of 2010 after a homeowner found her in their yard. They observed that she had severe blunt force trauma to all four limbs which resulted in her missing toes and partial amputations making her unreleasable. When she arrived we noticed that her carapace formed upward near the back which is an indication she could have been held in captivity.

Great Horned Owl

Dakota was found as an owlet in 2000 and was kept illegally by people in northern Wisconsin. When he became sick due to poor nutrition and care he was taken to a wildlife rehabilitator. They determined that he was imprinted on humans. Imprinting means a bird has formed an inaccurate self image — in Dakota’s case, a human self-image — and will fail to act in a species-appropriate way. Dakota, if released, would seek out humans for food and breeding purposes — so he is not releasable to the wild.

Red-tailed Hawk

Raenah was brought to the Wildlife in Need Center in 2008 with a fractured humerus in her left wing. She underwent surgery and therapy to try and regain some wing strength. Unfortunately she never regained full motion in her wing and was un-releasable and is now a part of the education team.