Big Bend Wildlife Sanctuary Inc.

08/26/2026

🐾Happy National Dog Day!🐾
While we love our furry companions, we unfortunately see hundreds of wild animals each year that are victims of dog attacks. So far in 2026, over 500 patients have been admitted for this reason, primarily rabbits, opossums, squirrels, and Gopher Tortoises.🐢
To help protect our wildlife from our pets, here are a couple easy steps:
- Keep dogs leashed while walking.🐕 No matter how well behaved your pet may be, it isn't worth the risk of a squirrel or rabbit catching their attention.
- Check your yard before letting dogs out (especially at night).🌙 Doing a fast sweep of your yard could save a wild animal's life, and only takes an extra minute or two.
- Be aware of rabbit nests on your property.🐇 The main victim of dog attacks is rabbits, and this is primarily due to dogs finding and unearthing entire nests of rabbits. Checking for rabbit nests and taking the teps to protect them could save an entire litter of rabbits! To protect a nest, place an overturned wheelbarrow, or overturned laundry basket (with an exit hole cut into the side) over the nest. These allow for the rabbits to come and go, but prevent dogs and other large predators from getting to the nest.

If your pet gets hold of a wild animal, please bring the animal to the nearest licensed wildlife rehabilitator. Even if the animal does not appear to be injured, the germs in our pets' mouths can cause illness, and there could be internal injuries. Thanks for helping us keep wildlife wild and safe from our pets! ❤️‍🩹

08/25/2026

08/25/2026

08/25/2026

Talk to only an experienced permitted wildlife rehabilitator for guidance. Too much information that is incorrect or incomplete.

Let's chat about ChatGPT! In the past month, we've been getting more and more calls from people asking for wildlife advice who say, “Oh, but that's not what ChatGPT told me …”

While AI can be a good tool when used correctly, it is not a substitute for advice from trained wildlife professionals. Wildlife rescue and emergency situations are complex, and it can be difficult to distinguish between an animal needing help and one that should be left alone, or how best to help an animal in need. Relying on ChatGPT or other AI tools for answers can often cause more harm than good, as the information it references may be from inaccurate sources and lead to poor decisions.

If you need wildlife help, the best thing you can do is contact our Center or a permitted wildlife rehabilitator near you - that's why we're here! Our team is always happy to help navigate wildlife concerns and ensure injured and orphaned animals get the help they need.

08/24/2026

Those little cone-shaped holes in your lawn aren't damage. That's a skunk pulling out the grubs that were quietly killing your grass from below.

At least half of what she eats is insects — grubs, cutworms, beetles, even mice. The digging isn't vandalism, it's pest control leaving a receipt.

She's tougher than she looks, too. She's one of the few animals that will tear open a yellowjacket nest and eat the larvae, shrugging off stings that would put you in the ER, and she's resistant to snake venom on top of it. The slow, mild-looking waddler is quietly one of the hardest customers in the yard.

And she truly doesn't want to spray you — that musk is a last resort, not a greeting. She'll stamp her front feet, then arch and lift her tail, practically begging you to back off first. Freeze and give her room and she'll almost always stand down.

One honest caution: skunks are a leading rabies carrier, so never approach or handle one, and keep pets vaccinated.

08/24/2026

This is so true of all Rehabilitators.

47 animals. One person. Her garage. No salary. No sleep. August. This is what wildlife rehabilitation looks like.
THE REALITY:
→ Most wildlife rehabilitators are unlicensed volunteers or licensed individuals working from home
→ They receive little to no government funding
→ Many pay for food, medicine, and supplies out of pocket
→ August: peak intake month (fledglings, orphans, injured juveniles, hit-by-car turtles)
→ Burnout rate is extreme — many quit within 3–5 years
WHAT THEY HANDLE IN AUGUST:
→ Baby squirrels (every 3–4 hours feeding schedule, for weeks)
→ Orphaned raccoons, opossums, rabbits
→ Injured songbirds (window strikes, cat attacks)
→ Turtles hit by cars (shell repair, months of recovery)
→ Raptors with broken wings (hawks, owls)
→ Deer fawns, baby foxes, baby skunks
→ All while their phone rings 30+ times a day with new intakes
WHAT THEY NEED:
→ DONATIONS: even $20 buys a week of formula for baby squirrels
→ SUPPLIES: old towels, paper towels, heating pads, cages, syringes
→ VOLUNTEER TIME: cage cleaning, feeding shifts, transport
→ ADVOCACY: support state funding for wildlife rehabilitation
→ REFERRALS: know your local rehabber's name and share it
HOW TO FIND YOUR LOCAL REHABBER:
→ Animal Help Now (ahnow.org): GPS-based rehabber locator
→ Your state wildlife agency website: rehabber directory
→ National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association (nwrawildlife.org)
→ Local humane society or Audubon chapter: can refer
HOW TO HELP TODAY:
→ Look up your nearest rehabber
→ Call and ask what they need most
→ Drop off supplies or donate online
→ Offer a volunteer shift (even 2 hours helps)
→ Share their contact info with your neighborhood
She's in her garage. With 47 animals. At 2 AM.
She doesn't need applause. She needs help.
Find her. Fund her. This month.

08/21/2026

Please folks make sure you are doing everything you can when helping wildlife. These courses are great.

Registration for the IWRC's Fall 2026 live courses is now open! Learn more or sign up at https://theiwrc.org/courses

Foundations of Wildlife Rehabilitation Online
September 21 - 27
October 12 - 18
November 2 - 8
November 9 - 15 (scheduled for the convenience of wildlife carers in E. Asia & Oceania!)

View lecture & lab times for each online course session here: https://theiwrc.org/foundations-class-schedules/ Anyone from any time zone can register for any online class, as long as you are able to commit to attending the live sessions.

Online Self-Paced Courses
Wound Management
Parasitology
Zoonoses
Fluid Therapy
Reuniting & Wild Fostering Raptors

Want an in person class in your area? Consider hosting! Find out more: https://forms.gle/JL61NU634hoWmhxa6

08/21/2026

Our scholarship applications are open!

We have dozens of opportunities and would love to see your submission.

🚗 Are you interested in attending Symposium but looking to reduce the cost? We have 38 Symposium Scholarships ranging from $300-2,250, with 20 scholarships providing the maximum award.
🦌 Are you a rehabilitator looking to improve or build rehabilitation enclosures? We have a cash scholarship that matches raised funds.
📚 Are you looking for research funding or for resources increasing your access to research and wildlife educational materials? Check out our Symposium Research and Education scholarships, along with our Educational Materials scholarships, and our research grants.

We hope to read your application soon! For more information, visit our website here: https://www.nwrawildlife.org/page/nwra_scholarships.

08/21/2026

Registration for the IWRC's Fall 2026 live courses is now open! Learn more or sign up at https://theiwrc.org/courses

Foundations of Wildlife Rehabilitation Online
September 21 - 27
October 12 - 18
November 2 - 8
November 9 - 15 (scheduled for the convenience of wildlife carers in E. Asia & Oceania!)

View lecture & lab times for each online course session here: https://theiwrc.org/foundations-class-schedules/ Anyone from any time zone can register for any online class, as long as you are able to commit to attending the live sessions.

Online Self-Paced Courses
Wound Management
Parasitology
Zoonoses
Fluid Therapy
Reuniting & Wild Fostering Raptors

Want an in person class in your area? Consider hosting! Find out more: https://forms.gle/JL61NU634hoWmhxa6