Animal Ambassadors

Aspen was found during the summer of 2023 on a sidewalk next to his two (deceased) siblings. He was kept by a member of the public for several weeks, and while there were good intentions, he developed nutritional deficiencies. He was brought to the Wildlife In Need Center in September of 2023. While he is now completely healthy, he arrived already habituated to humans. Because he does not have wild instincts, he is non-releasable. Once he was cleared by the animal care team, he was introduced to our other flying squirrel Acorn, and they have been living happily as roommates ever since!

The Southern Flying Squirrel (Glaucomys volans) is a nocturnal rodent that can be found in eastern deciduous forests in North America (including most of Wisconsin). Like other species of squirrels, they store food- especially nuts- for winter. In addition to native fruits and nuts, flying squirrels will eat insects, fresh buds on plants, mushrooms, bird eggs, flowers, and even small vertebrates.

Flying squirrels do not actually fly, they use their furry membrane (the patagium) that connects their front and rear legs to glide. They will get a running start and leap from trees then fully extend their limbs to stretch their patagium and glide at an angle of about 30. They are still highly mobile while gliding, able to make sharp turns around objects as they descend.

Acorn arrived at the Wildlife In Need Center as a patient in May of 2023 as an orphan. At the time of admission, she was cold, thin, and her eyes were just opening. Although she was treated and well cared for, she grew up alone. Because flying squirrels are a highly social species, it is not ideal for one to grow up without other flying squirrels. However, she arrived early in spring and there were no groups she could be matched with in the entire state! Despite our best efforts to develop her natural instincts, she did not gain the appropriate wild behaviors to survive on her own in the wild. Therefore, she found her forever home here with us! A few months after that she got a roommate, our male flying squirrel Aspen! They’ve been happily living together ever since.

The Southern Flying Squirrel (Glaucomys volans) is a nocturnal rodent that can be found in eastern deciduous forests in North America (including most of Wisconsin). Like other species of squirrels, they store food- especially nuts- for winter. In addition to native fruits and nuts, flying squirrels will eat insects, fresh buds on plants, mushrooms, bird eggs, flowers, and even small vertebrates.

Flying squirrels do not actually fly, they use their furry membrane (the patagium) that connects their front and rear legs to glide. They will get a running start and leap from trees then fully extend their limbs to stretch their patagium and glide at an angle of about 30. They are still highly mobile while gliding, able to make sharp turns around objects as they descend.

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 mom's 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.

The Virginia opossum, Didelphis virginiana, is North America’s only native species of marsupial. Opossums are nocturnal, they rely on their incredible sense of smell to locate food. They are opportunistic omnivores- meaning they will eat just about anything that they can find or catch. This includes berries, fruits, vegetables, rodents, amphibians, snakes (including venomous snakes), carrion and insects. They also consume a large number of ticks. One opossum can eat up to 5,000 ticks in a single season.

Virginia opossums are probably most known for one of their defense mechanisms- “playing possum.” This is when they go into a catatonic-like state. They do not have control over this behavior- it is similar to fainting and can take hours to recover. Other defense mechanisms include hissing, growling, or showing off their 50 sharp teeth.

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.

The Virginia opossum, Didelphis virginiana, is North America’s only native species of marsupial. Opossums are nocturnal, they rely on their incredible sense of smell to locate food. They are opportunistic omnivores- meaning they will eat just about anything that they can find or catch. This includes berries, fruits, vegetables, rodents, amphibians, snakes (including venomous snakes), carrion and insects. They also consume a large number of ticks. One opossum can eat up to 5,000 ticks in a single season.

Virginia opossums are probably most known for one of their defense mechanisms- “playing possum.” This is when they go into a catatonic-like state. They do not have control over this behavior- it is similar to fainting and can take hours to recover. Other defense mechanisms include hissing, growling, or showing off their 50 sharp teeth.

Willow currently is only doing ON-SITE programs at WINC.

Willow came to WINC from another rehabilitation center after she and her brother were admitted as orphans. Sadly, her brother died shortly after admission. After her brother’s death she was alone and never developed the wild instincts required to survive in the wild. After thorough evaluation the decision was made to find placement for her for an educational ambassador. We are happy to be her forever home here at the Wildlife In Need Center.

Willow will spend the rest of her life at the Wildlife In Need Center and help educate others on wildlife rehabilitation, animals of Wisconsin, and her species. She will be a great example of why scientific names are so important in the natural world as Woodchucks, Groundhogs, Whistle Pigs, and Land Beavers all refer to this animal: Marmota monax! The nickname “whistle pig” comes from the loud, high-pitched whistle they use to alert other woodchucks of danger nearby. Woodchucks can move almost three tons of dirt excavating their narrow, tight-fitting burrow which can reach 30 feet or more in length and have multiple tunnels and chambers within. Woodchucks build between 2 to 5 entrances into the burrow to help them escape when foraging above ground.

According to tradition, the groundhog peeks out of its burrow on February 2nd and checks to see if it has a shadow. If it's sunny enough for a shadow, the groundhog will return to the comfort of its burrow, and winter will continue for an additional 6 weeks. Woodchucks are considered true hibernators and enter a deep sleep-in late fall. During their 5-6 month-long nap, they may wake up and take a walk or a bathroom break. In preparation for hibernation, most of a woodchuck’s spring and summer is spent eating their greens to build up fat reserves to survive their winter slumber. They lower their body temperature to 38 degrees Fahrenheit and slow their heart rate down to 4 beats per minute during hibernation!

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 WINC. As a frequently misunderstood species, he is an important addition to our education team.

The striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis) is a nocturnal mammal that can be found throughout Wisconsin and North America. They live in many habitats but prefer forest borders, brushy areas, and open, grassy fields. The striped skunk is known for their black fur with a wide, white stripe that starts at their head, divides in half and stretches to their back end. Their tail is long, bushy, black and white. Their front feet are each equipped with long, curved claws that help them with their natural digging instincts. They have poor eye sight but their nose is powerful enough to smell below the surface of the ground.

Skunks eat plant and animal foods during fall and winter and insects are their preferred food and make up the bulk of their diet in spring and summer. Skunks dig for grubs that would often otherwise kill crops and lawns. Skunks also eat mice, young rabbits, ground squirrels, voles, birds and bird eggs.

Skunks are not true hibernators during the winter months but they prefer to keep warm inside den sites. Their breeding season begins in February and a single litter of 4 to 10 kits are born from May to June.

When a skunk feels threatened, their methods of defense may include arching their backs, raising their tails and stomping the ground with their front feet. If a skunk's warning is ignored, it turns around with its tail raised and their backside aimed at the threat for a good position to discharge its foul smelling spray.

Evie is acaptive bred snake hatched in August of 2013. She had two years of dedicated foster care before being donated to WINC to be used for education. She joined our educational team in the fall of 2015.

The Eastern Foxsnake, Vulpinus (Pantherophis) vulpina, is also known as a “pine snake” and is native to Wisconsin. They can be found living in pine barrens, oak savannas, hardwood forests and along open fields and prairies. Foxsnakes live in dens in old tree stumps, in leaf litter or under logs. This species is the most frequently encountered snake in people's homes, especially if the house has an old stone foundation where the snake may be hunting for food or hibernating in the basement.

Foxsnakes can grow to be about 3-6 feet in length. They have black, chocolate brown or reddish-brown blotches along their yellow skinned backs and the head on the adult foxsnake is a rust color.

The foxsnake’s name comes from the fox-like odor it emits when it is disturbed. They will also pretend to be a rattlesnake by coiling, vibrating their tails on leaf litter, and striking to scare away predators.

Foxsnakes are constrictors and do not have venom. Instead they immobilize their prey by squeezing them with their muscle power. Their diet consists of small rodents, birds and amphibians. Like all snakes, Evie uses her forked tongue to “taste” her world —although her vision is good, everything she needs to know she gets from chemoreception, a combination of taste and smell.

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.

The ornate box turtle, Terrapene ornata, is a creature of sandy soils, prairies, and dry oak savannahs, ranging from Indiana to South Dakota and down through Texas into Louisiana. It has been listed as an endangered species in Wisconsin since 1972, as irrigation and development downsized its habitat and increased road deaths, and particularly as turtles were collected for the pet trade. It is illegal in Wisconsin to sell or possess ornate box turtles without a license.

Jewel is beautiful to look at, with her dark upper shell, or carapace, which is about 5 inches long with yellow lines and dots ornamenting each scute, or scale. Like all of her species, she is omnivorous and is served a varied diet of fruit, greens, worms, and mealworms, which she loves. Jewel serves as an endangered species ambassador and hopefully will help shed light on the real issues at hand: that we could lose these small wonderful creatures forever and that wild creatures should always remain wild.

Twiggy arrived at the Wildlife in Need Center as a patient in July 2022 with an eye injury. During her time in care, our staff noticed her unusual interest in her caretakers. She would swim toward people and try to take food directly from them, rather than the normal wild behavior of human avoidance. Based on this behavior and her overall lack of fear of humans, it is extremely likely she was kept as a pet at some point in her life. This behavior in addition to her permanent vision issues, make it unsafe for her to return to the wild so she has found her new home with us!

The midland painted turtle, Chrysemys picta marginata, is one of two subspecies of painted turtles that are found abundantly throughout Wisconsin; the other being the western painted turtle. Midland painted turtles prefer especially quiet waters, usually shores and coves with dense vegetation. They are omnivores eating plants or animals living or dead. Painted turtles must be submerged in order to eat and swallow their food.

Midland painted turtles are 4”-10” long with bright yellow marked head and legs. They have a ­flatter carapace that ranges in color from olive green to black. Dark shells are more common in environments where the bottom of the body of water is darker. The plastron is usually light orange to reddish with a characteristic symmetrical dark shadow in the center which distinguishes midlands from other subspecies. Their feet are webbed to help them swim. All painted turtles love to bask on logs to keep their body temperature up and get rid of parasites.

Dakota is in training and is not available for programs.

Dakota was found as a baby in 2000 and 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.

The great horned owl, Bubo virginianus, is the largest resident owl in Wisconsin living in a variety of habitats. It is mostly nocturnal (active at night) and use a keen sense of sight to find prey in the dark. They also have an acute sense of hearing which, like binocular vision, can pinpoint the location of their prey. Owls are stealth hunters; they can easily sneak up on their prey since their unique feathers give them almost silent flight. They are one of the only animals that routinely prey on skunks.

Great horned owls mate for life and breed in the middle of winter here in Wisconsin. By March they have 2-3 eggs laid. Both parents incubate the eggs and care for their young.

Particularly during breeding season you will hear the deep "hoo-h'HOO--hoo-hoo” of this common backyard owl.

Raenah is in training and is not available for programs.

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.

The red-tailed hawk, Buteo jamaicensis, is a common raptor found throughout the United States and Canada as well as Mexico and Central America. They build their nests at the edges of forests in large trees bordered by open fields. These fields are perfect for hunting for prey. In the past red-tailed hawks were hunted to low numbers. Since hunting of any raptor is illegal now, they are bountiful as they have successfully nested in a variety of areas which has helped to increase their numbers.

Red-tailed hawks are an average of 19-24 inches in length with a wing span of 49 inches. Their feathers range from light auburn to dark brown and the top-side of their tail is a distinct cinnamon red in color. Their primary diet consists of small rodents and mammals. They reach full maturity at four years when their eyes become a deep chocolate brown. The regal red-tail’s cry is a high pitched “kreeeer” and is often the call used in movies and television depicting bald eagles.