Aark Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center

10/08/2026

There’s a spunky new fox at the Aark! 🧡🦊

This female fox was found by Sheryl from Wildlife In Need PA on September 30th after potentially being hit by a car. She arrived hypothermic, emaciated, mangy, and suffering from multiple infected wounds.

For the first 3 days, she stayed in our ICU unit, and for the first 24 hours she couldn’t even stand up. 😢 We gave her IV fluids, pain medication, and antibiotics to fight the infection. Now in a safe space, she pulled through a little more every day.

You wouldn’t recognize her now! Her attitude is back and she's proven herself to be a fighter! She’s broken multiple syringes that our staff tries to use to administer her antibiotics 😂

Providing resources for a fox is expensive, but what we really need your help with is the cost of mange treatment. If you’ve been following us for a while you know by now that mange is expensive to treat. If you are able, please consider donating to the Aark so we can provide quality care for this fox and all our patients that are depending on us. Thank you so much! 🧡

10/08/2026

Have you ever seen this many baby turtles!? 🥹🐢

We couldn’t resist posting another clip of the musk turtle release at Crystal Lake last week. The adult turtles were rescued from the lake, stayed over winter at Aark and laid a lot of eggs! 🥚

This was the little turtle's first time outside the clinic. Some of them were more eager to explore their new environment than others, but eventually they all plopped into the lake!

Just one more time we want to thank everyone who was involved with rescuing, supporting, and releasing these musk turtles. Thank you! 🩷🐢

10/02/2026

Happy Freedom Friday! Patient 26-3383, an older opossum who was shot with a projectile, has been released! 🩷In August, we raised money for testing as we suspected she may have been suffering from lead poisoning. Thanks to your help, we were able to test her for lead and get her the treatment she needed.

The pellet that she was shot with was removed and she received chelation therapy medication to help remove the heavy metals from her system. 🩺 After she was clinically cleared of lead, we moved her to an outdoor enclosure where she spent a few weeks conditioning.

Now she is back home! Thank you so much to everyone who donated to save this little life! 🥰

Photo Credit: Anita B. Stewart

10/01/2026

Today is Raccoon appreciation day! 🦝💜

Raccoons are intelligent mammals that have adapted well to human development of wild landscapes. You may have seen videos of raccoons digging in trashcans— a habit that has earned them the nickname “trash pandas.” 🗑️🐼 Trash isn’t the only thing on the menu for raccoons. They are opportunistic omnivores and will eat many different things like berries, insects, bird eggs, fish, and human leftovers! 🐟

Raccoons are solitary and live in many different habitats from forests to cities. Because of their close proximity to humans, at Aark we often see raccoons that have been hit by a car or poisoned to remove them as a nuisance.

We like to give our raccoons fun enrichment items like children’s play slides, kiddie pools, and even cat trees for climbing! 🛝

Although raccoons may look cute and approachable, it’s best to leave wildlife alone. Raccoons, like other wildlife, can carry diseases and may become defensive if bothered. Happy raccoon appreciation day! 🦝

09/30/2026

Step right up...if you dare! Join us for Aark in the Dark's Haunted Carnival, where carnival games, spooky crafts, and creatures await! 🎃

🦇Explore our haunted carnival and encounter our devilishly cool ambassador animals.
🤹🏼‍♂️Play carnival games and test your luck.
🍬Win candy as you make your way through the carnival.
🪳Eat a bug... if you're brave enough.
🎨Make spooky crafts to take home.
🍎Press fresh apple c***r and enjoy the taste of fall.
🎪Enjoy some aerial arts with Hearth And Hallow!

Tickets are limited so don’t wait!
https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/2026-aark-in-the-dark-copy

09/25/2026

A closer look at one of the challenges owls face after vehicle collisions.

This Eastern Screech Owl found itself at the clinic after being struck by a vehicle. One of the biggest concerns with vehicle collisions involving owls is ocular (eye) trauma.

Owls have incredibly large, tubular-shaped eyes that are specially adapted for their nocturnal lifestyle. In fact, their eyes make up roughly 5% of their total body weight! Their eyes occupy so much of the skull that there is very little room for anything else, which unfortunately also means they can be particularly vulnerable to head and eye trauma.

Luckily, this little owl sustained only mild inflammation and hyphema (bleeding within the eye) of the left eye. With pain medication, supportive care, and close monitoring, they have been steadily on the mend.

We are currently working toward upgrading our diagnostic equipment, including acquiring a new ophthalmoscope to help us better evaluate the eyes of patients like this.

Your support helps us provide the specialized care our patients need. Every donation helps us purchase medical equipment, medications, food, and supplies so we can continue giving injured wildlife the best chance at recovery and release.

Help us continue providing the specialized care our patients need by donating today! 🦉🩺

09/23/2026

BIRD LOVERS!!! Join us at Peace Valley Nature Center for a bird migration talk with Volunteer Coordinator, Kelli!

Helping Birds Survive Migration

Migration is an incredible journey—but for many birds, it’s also a dangerous one. Join Kelli Scarlett from Aark Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center to learn why migrating birds end up in rehabilitation, how rehabilitators help injured birds recover and return to the wild, and what these cases reveal about hazards such as window collisions, artificial lights, and outdoor cats.

Discover simple actions you can take at home and in your community to help make migration safer for birds.

Space is limited. Advanced registration required.
All ages welcome; minors must be accompanied by an adult
FREE; donations kindly accepted

09/22/2026

This is a heart breaking message to respect wildlife! 🐢

A large adult male snapping turtle was admitted earlier this month after rescuers found him being bludgeoned with stones by kids. This caused substantial damage to his carapace (top shell) exposing tissue and muscle. He will now have to spend the winter in our clinic due to his injuries.

This is an old adult male that had likely been alive for decades. 😭 If rescuers had not stepped him, it’s possible he would not be alive right now. It is truly mind boggling and horrific to see young people behaving this way towards an innocent animal who likely was just minding his own business.

Please, please, please teach your children (and anyone in your life) to respect wildlife! This snapper could feel every bludgeon because, yes, turtles can feel pain in their shell. ⚠️ It’s not okay to abuse an animal! ⚠️

Thank you so so much to the rescuers for stepping in and saving this turtle. We’re grateful that he’s safe now with us to heal over the winter and be released back home next spring. 💚🐢

09/20/2026

Save the Date! ❄️ An Enchanted Evening with Wildlife is back this February! ❄️

Tickets will be available soon for our annual fundraising event taking place this year at the beautiful Normandy Farms in Blue Bell PA. This year we have some incredible things planned for the evening including a live and silent auction, catered dinner, live animal encounters, and more!

📅 February 27th
🕒 6-10pm
💙 Normandy Farms, Blue Bell PA

We still need sponsors for this event! Is your business or employer interested in sponsoring? We have multiple sponsorship levels you can commit to which include tickets to the event, an ad in our program, and more. Learn more here: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/donate-to-change-lives-20271