What are the opening hours?

Monday 9am - 5pm Tuesday 9am - 5pm Wednesday 9am - 5pm Thursday 9am - 5pm Friday 9am - 5pm Saturday 9am - 5pm Sunday 8am - 5pm

Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary

Home
United States
Shipman, VA
Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary

We help wild animals and their habitats thrive through a unique harmony of wildlife rehabilitation, public education, and community collaboration.

Join us in forging a more vibrant future for wildlife!
🦊🦉🐢🦝🐍🦨🐦🦇

https://linktr.ee/rockfishwildlife

06/03/2026

Whoop, whoop! 🦝 It’s raccoon kit o’clock!⁣
⁣
Baby raccoons are very vocal, social critters. They make a variety of noises as they develop, and a very common one is this whooping sound. 📢 It’s typically the call they use to find each other or their mother. Unfortunately, though, we admitted these babies after their mom was hit by a car. She can’t answer their calls. 😭⁣
⁣
But our amazing rehab team can! 👏 We’re glad to share that these patients have been doing wonderfully in care at RWS. Our rehabbers are bottle-feeding them throughout the day, and the kits have started exploring solid foods too. Before we know it, they’ll be ready for an outdoor pre-release enclosure. 💪⁣
⁣
Thank you for supporting our work and helping us provide second chances for orphaned wild animals like these cuties! ⁣💕⁣
⁣
⁣

06/01/2026

Looking to fit in with the cool kids? Stand in their food and put your big, fluffy b***y in their faces! Seriously, give it a try. 🥾⁣
⁣
While he might look like the odd man out in this photo, this Canada Goose is one of a couple other juvenile goslings in this enclosure of Mallard ducklings. 🦆⁣
⁣
Given their similar life histories and care needs, we sometimes group developmentally-comparable waterfowl patients together for better socialization. It can help lower patient stress and also prevent lone orphans from imprinting on humans. Plus, it gives us goofy moments like these! 🤗⁣

05/29/2026

tiny skunk + big warm sock = 🥹😭⁣
⁣
Striped Skunk patient 26-379 arrived a few days ago after being found all alone in a pasture, soaking wet. He weighs just a little over 100 grams and is likely only about two weeks old. 🦨⁣
⁣
The sock you see here is a rice sock, and it’s a wildlife rehabber’s secret weapon! It’s simply a tube sock that’s been stuffed with dry rice and microwaved for a minute. 🧦 Doing creates a cushy heat pack that warms up the patient. ⁣
⁣
Importantly, a big rice sock also provides a comforting sensation to lone orphans. When your eyes are still closed, like this baby’s, it feels a lot like mom. 😭♥️⁣
⁣
We look forward to providing this kit with the round-the-clock care he needs to thrive! ⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣

05/26/2026

We’re thrilled to announce Mountain View Magic, this year’s Sanctuary Soirée! 🪄 Join us on October 2nd at for a delightful evening in support of our mission.⁣ 🥂⁣
⁣
Our guests will enjoy spellbinding sunset views, bewitching bites from our friends at .fare, mingling with our mesmerizing ambassador animals, enchanting entertainment, and more! ⁣🧙‍♀️⁣
⁣
The event will also include a 𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. Are you an artist, business owner, vacation rental manager, or someone with a skill or service to share? Please consider donating to our auction! We’d be thrilled to feature your work.⁣🤗⁣
⁣
You can also help divinate Mountain View Magic’s success today by 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗿. Our sponsors truly make the magic happen by powering us to reach our fundraising goals. 💪 Whether you pick a $500 or $5,000 sponsorship package, you’ll receive lots of great perks — and the gratitude of our wildlife patients! Plus, you’ll secure your tickets…before they sell out. ⁣😉⁣
⁣
We look forward to sharing more details about ticket sales as Mountain View Magic draws closer. 🎟️ For now, save the date, spread the word, and prepare to be charmed! ✨⁣
⁣
𝘗𝘴𝘴𝘴𝘵: if you’re not into magic, don’t worry. This isn’t a costume party. (Unless you want it to be. We won’t stop you. 😂) While we’ll have touches of sorcery and whimsy at our Soirée, the real magic will come from our community gathering to help save wild animals in need. 🐾⁣ See you there! ⁣
⁣
⁣

05/22/2026

World Turtle Day is coming this weekend…and so is a ton of rain! 🐢☔️ It’s easy to help your community’s turtles when they’re likely to be out and about.💪⬇️⁣
⁣
Terrestrial and aquatic turtles are on the move right now as they search for mates and nesting spots. During and right after warm rain events, though, our shelled neighbors are even more active! 🏃 That’s because the soil is easier to dig in, and many of their favorite insect treats are drawn out from underground. 🪱 ⁣Plus, paved surfaces like roads typically retain heat. That’s an attractive resource when you’re a turtle on the go and it suddenly begins to rain. 🌧️⁣
⁣
All of this is to say: it’s extra important to drive cautiously after spring and summer rains. ⚠️If you see a turtle-shaped lump in the road, you can easily save that turtle’s life by moving it to the other side. ⁣
⁣
The hamburger hold 🍔 described in the second slide works for all turtle species except for snapping turtles. With their telescopic necks, they can reach hands underneath their plastron. Instead, use a crab claw hold 🦀 to shuttle the snapper across. Check out the third slide for photos! ⁣
⁣
⁣

05/21/2026

Join our team! 🚨 We are excited to announce a NEW position opening on RWS’s team. 🥳⁣ Our Wildlife Rehabilitator & Educator role will be instrumental to advancing both our wildlife care program and public outreach efforts. ⁣
⁣
Our new team member will work on rehabilitation and patient care activities approximately 60% of the time. They will help treat for 800-1,000 wildlife patients annually at RWS. They’ll be able to lead shifts while maintaining the highest standard of care for our patients. 🦊 ⁣
⁣
The remaining 40% of the time, this person will help advance our public education efforts. This includes organizing and presenting educational programs to members of the public, leading the husbandry and training of our non-releasable ambassador animals, and assisting with curriculum development and communications. ⁣
⁣
This unique role is suited for someone with at least one full year of wildlife care and education experience. 🦊 ⁣While the role is a 12 month position, we are hoping to extend it depending on funding. We view this new employee as an important long-term investment into RWS’s ability to further our mission and improve our community. 💪⁣
⁣
Folks who are interested in applying can learn more at the link in our bio. We look forward to hearing from you! 🐾🐸🦉🦝⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣

05/19/2026

The second photo shows how we imagine this rescue. 😆

This trio of White-footed Mice came into professional care after they tumbled out of their nest…from inside a jet ski, while it was on the water! 🛥️🌊 Luckily, their rescuer spotted them and quickly saved them from their aquatic ordeal. ⁣
⁣
After a day of stabilization, our friends at the Wildlife Center of Virginia transferred the mice to us for continued rehabilitative care. 💕 We’re happy to share that all three are doing well so far and have nearly doubled in size. They’re no longer being hand-fed and are becoming more accustomed to solid foods. ⁣🐭
⁣
While we’re looking forward to hopefully releasing these three patients soon, we do hope they’ll avoid jet skis once they’re back in the wild! 😂⁣

05/18/2026

Shout out to all the stuffed animals working overtime this wildlife baby season. 🧸 It ain’t mom, but it’s the next best thing!⁣ 💕
⁣
Stuffed animals really are an important tool in wildlife rehabilitation. 💪 When orphaned wild animals come into care, like these three infant raccoons, they are often in desperate need of the warm, soft comfort their mother should be providing them at that age. 🫂 ⁣
⁣
It is 𝘯𝘰𝘵 appropriate for our staff rehabbers to provide this comfort ourselves. We never cuddle, talk to, or even name our patients because this compromises the main point of wildlife rehabilitation: keeping them wild! 🌳⁣
⁣
So, providing these babies with a similarly-sized stuffed animal “mom” reduces stress and helps with that early socialization. Paired with a warm, soft incubator, you’ve got some happy babies — and some happy rehabbers, since it’s pretty darn cute to observe! 😄⁣
⁣
⁣

05/15/2026

Please join us in celebrating Chandler, one of our amazing staff rehabbers, for earning her Master Herpetologist certification this spring! 🐸🐢🐍🎉⁣
⁣
As part of a continuing education opportunity at RWS, Chandler has spent the past 16 weeks learning all about our herptile neighbors from around the world. 🌎 The intensive course through The Amphibian Foundation taught her all about identification, taxonomy, physiology, life histories, habitats, migration, conservation, and more. 📚⁣
⁣
In addition to completing weekly assignments, Chandler aced the final exam to earn her certification — which was no surprise to her colleagues here at RWS! 👏⁣
⁣
Chandler particularly enjoyed learning about salamanders from the 𝘈𝘮𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘶𝘮𝘢 genus ⁣and the Mexican Mole Lizard. 🦎 She’s looking forward to applying her newfound skills to her herping adventures, future research interests, and patient care at RWS! ✨⁣

Address

5450 Wheelers Cove Road
Shipman, VA
22971

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm
Saturday	9am - 5pm
Sunday	8am - 5pm

Telephone

+14342634954

Website

http://www.rockfishwildlifesanctuary.org/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary:

Shortcuts

Address
Telephone
Opening Hours
Alerts
Contact The Organization
Claim ownership or report listing

Want your organization to be the top-listed Government Service in Shipman?