Evelyn's Wildlife Refuge

No more autographs, Please!

February 21, 2010 at 11:44 pm · Filed under Uncategorized

So I was featured on the news this week, three times! Each local news channel sent a camera crew over to film me and the animals at the refuge. Due to the cold weather we have had recently, many more animals have come into the refuge needing help. Food sources are scarce, much of the available water has been frozen, and for lone animals, like the opossums who don’t den together, freezing temps are a serious threat. Below is a link to the story on WVEC. The story hasn’t showed up on WAVY or WTKR’s websites yet.

http://www.wvec.com/home/Harsh-winter-tough-on-wildlife-keeps-refuge-busy-84825902.html

The rabbit is still here, getting physical therapy every day. There is another raccoon here, a very big raccoon who isn’t friendly at all. He stays in another cage by himself while he is healing. The purple martin is still around and doing well. We’ve got a dove in who was attacked by a cat. This happens too often and is easily preventable. People can put an emergency release collar with a bell on their cat or just keep them inside! There is also another opossum who arrived during the coldest weather. He is very weak and his ears, tail and feet are all damaged from the cold. He is very friendly, probably because he is sick and weak. Once he gets healthy he will revert back to acting like a wild animal again.

Permalink Comments (1)

I love Candy Canes

January 11, 2010 at 10:56 pm · Filed under Flying Squirrels, Opossum, Purple Martin, Rabbits, Raccoons

It’s the quiet season at the refuge through the winter. There are only a handful of animals being helped here at the refuge right now. I stay busy though, every day I find new toys to play with or new areas to explore. Evelyn opens up the door to my cage so I can wander the garage and when it’s nice outside she leaves the doors open so I can go outside. Recently, it’s been freezing all the time so I prefer to stay inside where it’s warm and dry. I am learning to climb and crawl around pretty comfortably though I know I don’t walk like a regular raccoon.

I get a bath sometimes to keep my fur clean and keep bugs off. I don’t mind because Evelyn gives me a special treat like a Starburst or a Candy Cane. I spend the whole bath chewing it as she scrubs my fur clean and makes sure I’m all dried and brushed. I always feel good afterward, I jsut love those candy canes.

Currently, there is a rabbit staying in the cage next to me. He was hit by a car and his head just hangs, he looks silly but he sure eats like a pig. He is quiet and when people see him for the first time they assume he might be dead. Really, he just can’t lift his head up yet. Evelyn says he will get his strength back and will be able to be released in a few weeks at least.

My neighbor to the other side is a Purple Martin. He is a really pretty bird who came in with a broken wing. He spent a good long time in bandages healing up. He no longer needs the bandages but he isn’t able to fly far so he has to stay a while longer.

There is also a Virginia opossum. He came in as a late season orphan and he isn’t friendly at all. He is growing fast and should be free to move to an outdoor cage as soon as the weather gets better. He sleeps all day and is active at night.

The cutest animals here, besides me, are a pair of flying squirrels, or ‘flyers’ as they’re called. They’ve been around since they were orphaned as very tiny babies. They weren’t prepared to be moved to an outdoor cage and released before it grew cold outside so they are wintering at the refuge. They stay quiet all day just like the opossum. But when it grows dark, they start jumping and flying all around their cage. I don’t let them keep me up though, I play all day and get loads of exercise so I sleep like a baby all night.

…Dreaming of candy canes and starburst!