Blue Ridge Wildlife Center

06/24/2026

This adult Northern Flicker was rescued by finders after they witnessed the bird unable to fly or walk well. Thankfully, they were able to get this bird contained and brought to us for treatment.

While we're not sure exactly what happened to this bird to cause him to be unable to fly, we suspect it was likely some sort of head trauma, as we found no broken bones or major injuries, only mild ataxia, or loss of coordination.

Thanks to the quick action of these finders, this beautiful bird was able to get a second chance at a wild life and return back home healthy!

06/23/2026

The raccoons keep pouring in!

While many people have followed our advice closely, resulting in safe rescues and transports, we have also had quite a few raccoons come in after finders have attempted to care for them for days, if not weeks.

While rabies exposures are always a concern in cases where our highest-risk species have been in human care for an extended length of time, the health department investigates these situations to determine if a true exposure has occurred. Fortunately, the health department determined that no exposures occurred in these recent cases and we have been able to rehabilitate the raccoons despite the amount of time spent in non-permitted human care.

Although rabies is the primary concern with this species, as it is 100% fatal without treatment, rabies is by no means the only concern when it comes to caring for wildlife without the proper knowledge or experience needed to do so safely.

ALL of our recent raccoon kits have come in with parasites that could easily infect people or domestic animals. Our current raccoon patients were admitted with zoonotic parasites including ticks, roundworms, and protozoan species. It's one of many reasons we never recommend handling any wildlife with bare hands, even if they're not a rabies vector species. We want to keep wildlife safe, but we also want to keep you and your families safe!

If you find an animal you believe needs help, call us or your local wildlife rehabilitator right away, and make sure to wear thick gloves, or use a towel or other medium to keep yourself and the animal safe when attempting containment. Keep all pets and children away from the animal, and keep the animal somewhere warm, dark, and quiet without any food or water until you hear back from a rehabilitator or animal control professional.

We appreciate that so many people want to help wildlife, but please remember that YOUR safety is always top priority!

06/22/2026

Although we have had orchard orioles as patients before, this is the first fledgling of the species that we have ever had in care! Despite being common in our area in the summer, we do not get many orchard orioles as patients as they are often found in less urban areas with fewer humans (a.k.a. “finders”) to bring them in.

This one was found down and weak with an elevated respiratory rate and poor grip strength in the feet. With some supplemental heat and oxygen, we are hopeful that this baby will improve in care and eventually be released in time for fall migration!

06/21/2026

Volume up for Striped Skunk ASMR!

Our young striped skunks are growing up quickly, and in this video they're participating in some foraging enrichment, where food is placed in a bin of leaves for them to forage through. This helps prepare them for the outside world where they'll be foraging for food on their own!

Skunks don't have great eyesight, but they have an excellent sense of smell which they use to sniff out insects and other food. They're long, curved claws then help them get to these food items.

While these babies can very well spray, skunks only spray when they believe their lives are in danger. We keep these guys in a quiet room with visual barriers that help prevent them from seeing us while providing care. We only handle them when absolutely necessary, like when we're getting weights and cleaning their enclosure each day. Contrary to popular belief, skunks are quite easygoing compared to our more high-energy patients, like squirrels, or high-stress animals like cottontails. As long as we're chill (and handling them properly), they're chill!

As always, if you find a baby or injured skunk you believe is in need, never attempt to handle these animals with bare hands, as they're considered a high-risk rabies vector species in Virginia. Give us or your nearest rehabilitator a call if you have questions or concerns about a skunk in your area!

06/20/2026

This nestling Killdeer was rescued after the finder witnessed a cat chasing this baby into a sewer drain, where both the cat and the killdeer became trapped. Thankfully, this finder was able to rescue this youngster from the drain and bring them in for us to evaluate them.

Unfortunately, it was evident this baby had been caught by the cat at one point, as our team found multiple punctures. We immediately started this baby on antibiotics and pain medications and got an incubator set up to allow this bird to finally rest after an extremely traumatic and stressful day.

While this killdeer was harmed by this cat, it's possible the cat could be harmed by this killdeer. These birds are considered a high-risk species for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, and while we often see a lower incidence of this virus in the warmer months, we have received several positives throughout the year and know it's here in our area. Domestic cats have been documented several times to be susceptible to contracting this virus, primarily through exposure to wild birds and infected dairy cows, resulting in severe illness and often death. There has even been documented evidence of a person contracting avian influenza directly from an infected cat, making indoor-outdoor cats a risk of disease transmission to their human families, and free-roaming cats a risk to spreading it through the environment.

Keeping your cats indoors or contained on a leash or in a catio doesn't just keep wildlife like this baby killdeer safe, but it also keeps your cats safe (and vet bills lower!). This baby could've been raised happily with their parents, but now the odds are stacked against them, as cat attacks carry a low success rate for release, even with treatment. However, we're giving this kid a chance to recover, and hopefully make it back out to the wild.

06/19/2026

Turtle season is continuing strong - we have 46 turtles in care currently, 33 of which are Woodland Box Turtles - that's nearly 20% of the number of our current patients!! We have 10 patient rooms in our hospital, and while we have many babies, reptiles currently have 4 rooms dedicated just to them to accommodate their needs.

Turtles are some of the most rewarding patients we work with. Their incredible resilience means that some injuries that appear fatal are actually recoverable, and while they may take weeks or months to heal, we've seen amazing healing capacity in these animals. Plus, the majority of the box turtles we receive are fully mature adults, meaning getting them recovered and back out to the wild is directly contributing to their gene pool. Less than 1% of box turtle hatchlings survive to adulthood, so every adult individual matters.

Box turtle populations are in decline in Virginia, mostly caused by vehicle strikes, habitat loss, use of pesticides, and poaching for the pet trade. Did you know that box turtles are one of the most commonly-trafficked animal out of Virginia? In 2021, the Department of Wildlife Resources made it illegal to take box turtles from the wild to keep as pets. This move made it easier for Conservation Police Officers to prosecute those who continued to poach box turtles from the wild after this change was made, and help keep box turtles right where they belong - in the wild. Owners of box turtles before this law was made had the opportunity to register their turtle with DWR to be grandfathered in to legally keep them.

Have you found a box turtle? Your sighting could help research! Consider reporting your finding to the Virginia Herpetological Society, who is collecting community observations of box turtles to track individuals and gauge populations. You can find their reporting form here: https://virginiaherpetologicalsociety.com/reptiles/turtles/woodland-box-turtle/boxturtle-reporting/boxturtle-reportingform.html

Lastly, if you find any turtle crossing the roadways, simply help them in the direction they're headed - relocating turtles can be fatal to these animals, and potentially harm other turtles in the new location. And if you find an injured turtle, make sure to get them to your nearest turtle rehabilitator!

06/18/2026

This juvenile Bald Eagle was released yesterday in Stafford County after nearly a month in care!

Last month we received two juveniles after a harsh storm that left them down and wet. These two were technically found at two different addresses, but just a few hundred feet apart, and it is likely given the age and location that they are siblings. The first eagle was simply wet and cold and was returned home after a short stay to dry off recondition feathers.

The second eagle, who was released yesterday, had suffered a fractured keel (the equivalent of the sternum). Fortunately, this fracture was very well-aligned and well-stabilized by the surrounding muscle. After a few weeks of cage rest, pain medication, and then flight time, this bird was cleared for release.

We’d like to thank the amazing animal control officers of Office of Stafford County Sheriff - David "DP" Decatur, Sheriff and our wonderful transporters for getting this eagle (and many others) into care and home for release.

Bald eagles are a great success story in America. After nearly causing their extinction with our use of DDT, which prevented hatching by causing eggs to break easily, humans have helped to bring this population back by banning the pesticide in 1972. Since then, populations have rebounded and eagles were removed from the federal endangered and threatened species list in 2007.

Although they are doing well in our area, they are still being threatened by humans. Over 90% of the eagles we treat have elevated blood lead levels. Another adult Bald Eagle from Stafford was admitted the day after this juvenile and passed away within 24 hours due to the toxin. Adults with severe lead toxicity like this cannot feed their young, so these death often impact more than just the directly-poisoned eagle. Make the switch to non-lead ammunition and non-lead sinkers to help protect our national bird!

Thank you Erik Brito Photography for the wonderful release photos! Please check out the release video in the comments.

06/17/2026

We will be hosting local potter Carrie Althouse from Althouse Pottery THIS SATURDAY!

"Father’s Day Weekend is almost here!
Bring Dad and watch local potter Carrie Althouse sculpt one of the Blue Ridge Wildlife Center’s ambassadors on site.

When: 6/20 10:30 - 3:30
Where: Blueridge Wildlife Center
106 Island Farm Lane, Boyce
What: Carrie will be sculpting all day so just come out and check out the center, learn about their wildlife ambassadors and check out Carrie’s sculpture as it evolves.
Who: ANYONE

FREE event!

Carrie Althouse is a local potter who lives in Berryville VA. Her pottery is very unique, inspired by nature and crafted with love. Carrie and her family have traveled to all 50 states as they love camping and traveling to experience all the different natural wonders our Country provides. Carrie has a heart for all creatures great and small and is excited to get the opportunity to sculpt in a live setting as she observes her subject matter. Carrie will be sculpting one of the Center’s wildlife ambassadors throughout the day so come catch a glimpse into ceramic sculpting this weekend and learn all about the center and their wildlife. "

Father’s Day Weekend is almost here!
Bring Dad and watch local potter Carrie Althouse sculpt one of the Blue Ridge Wildlife Center’s ambassadors on site.

When: 6/20 10:30 - 3:30
Where: Blueridge Wildlife Center
106 Island Farm Lane, Boyce
What: Carrie will be sculpting all day so just come out and check out the center, learn about their wildlife ambassadors and check out Carrie’s sculpture as it evolves.
Who: ANYONE

FREE event!

06/17/2026

Does this photo make you itchy, or make your hairs stand on end? We can imagine that the Big brown bat baby that this creepy crawly critter was found on feels the same way!

Many of the animals, including lizards, turtles, and birds, will come into our center with ticks, mites, lice, or other ectoparasites that have found them in the wild. These critters can carry diseases and compromise healing for some of our patients, so often, when they are in care, patients are treated with antiparasitics, just as many people provide antiparasitics for domestic pets against fleas and ticks.

While these parasites can cause harm, many also provide protein to other animals, and they too have a role in the ecosystem! Healthy animals in the wild often have low parasite burdens that do not compromise their overall health and many of our patients ingest invertebrates (including parasitic ones!) in their natural diet.

This particularly creepy crawly is the Eastern bat bug and it takes advantage of colonial roosting sites in bat populations. We see these frequently on our bat patients. Ectoparasites like these can provide poorly understood information about disease transmission, and here at Blue Ridge Wildlife Center, we will collect these ectoparasites to send to our research collaborators so we can better understand wildlife and zoonotic diseases that can spread to people.

Every creature big and small has a role to play in our ecosystem and something to teach us!

06/16/2026

Two adult Central Ratsnakes came to us recently as victims of garden netting. Both were entangled in the same piece of garden netting and both suffered the typical damage we see with this material: damaged scales and constriction wounds. While one suffered only minor damage and was released just 5 days after admission, the other is still with us. The snake that is still in care is healing well, but will need time to heal fully.

Garden netting is the most common reason ratsnakes are admitted to our hospital. This material cinches tighter as snakes try to free themselves, causing skin necrosis and deep lacerations that often require surgery. The first snake in this entanglement was lucky, but the second has wounds that we will need to monitor over time. If they do not resolve fully with a complete shed, this remaining snake will likely need surgical repair.

If you use netting in your garden, please consider swapping it for a wildlife-safe alternative such as solid mesh hardware cloth, smaller-gauge insect netting, or plant cages. Storing loose netting away when it's not in use makes a real difference - most of our entanglement patients are entrapped in netting that was not even being used at the time! If you are disposing of netting (or if you are storing it for the season) be sure to secure the netting in a bag or bin that snakes cannot access.

These snakes provide us with many benefits including rodent control and by extension the prevention of tick-borne diseases. These snakes play an important role in the ecosystem and are worth protecting, so please dispose of your garden netting (properly!) today!