Piedmont Wildlife Center

09/02/2026

Penn, who sustained a traumatic brain injury after a vehicular collision, is often “out of it.” So, seeing his expressive reaction to shell scratches is extra special! 💚

Turtles, tortoises, and terrapins have nerve endings and feeling in their shells. 🐢 Because they can’t reach the tops of their shells on their own, they’ll often rub against objects in their environment to get a good scratch.

At PWC, all of our turtles and terrapins have brushes in their enclosures for shell scratching, and we also offer scratches like the ones you see in this video.

We’re so happy to see Penn enjoying his shell scratches! 🥰

08/31/2026

We’re booking animal programs through the end of Spring 2027! 🐾

Plan a birthday party, small group tour, or field trip to our Durham site, or invite us to your classroom, office, and more. Wherever we meet, you’ll have the chance to get up close with and learn about native North Carolina wildlife.

Every program helps support our nonprofit’s work to create meaningful connections between people and nature. 🦉

Book your program now: https://www.piedmontwildlifecenter.org/animal-encounters

08/28/2026

Whew! Summer 2026 was a whirlwind. ☀️ Through the heat, rain, muddy trails, and everything in between, our incredible camp staff and campers brought the energy, resillence, and enthusiasm that made this summer so special. 💚

Now, we’re heading straight into fall! 🍂 Sign up for fall and spring camps and homeschool: https://www.piedmontwildlifecenter.org/schools-out-camps
https://www.piedmontwildlifecenter.org/homeschool-in-the-wild

08/26/2026

400 people came to hear Kyra Thurow Bartow, PWC’s Animal Husbandry & Intern Manager, talk about crows at the Durham County Library. 🐦‍⬛

Our Executive Director was there to cheer her on—and his reactions are priceless! It’s safe to say Kyra is a bona fide ornithological celebrity! 🌟

08/24/2026

We had a wonderful time hosting Our State Magazine and Dr. Eleanor Spicer Rice at Piedmont Wildlife Center! 🐾 They joined us to film our Opossum Ambassador, Peaches, for Our State’s feature, “Backyard Superheroes,” all about North America’s only native marsupial: the Virginia Opossum. 💚

Watch the full video: https://youtu.be/4B-R2a6YlLE

08/24/2026

Looking for an outdoor adventure when school's out? 🍂 Our Jr. Naturalist School's Out Camps follow the Wake County Public School System’s academic calendar, with camps offered on holidays, teacher workdays, and track out breaks.

At Jr. Naturalist Camp, kids can spend a day (or a whole week!) exploring Yates Mill County Park in Raleigh. 🦎 With our environmental educators, campers will practice naturalist and survival skills, meet local wildlife, play woodland games, and discover more about the natural world around them. 🌳

Explore + Register:

Join us this spring for track out camps and more outdoor adventures in Wake County!

08/20/2026

Look at that sweet face! 🥰 Marble is one of our resident Corn Snake Ambassadors. 🐍 She's gentle, inquisitive, and has been brightening our days since she came to PWC in 2024.

08/18/2026

We're hiring Outdoor Camp Counselors to support our School's Out Camps and Homeschool in the Wild this fall! 🍂

We’re looking for Outdoor Camp Counselors for:

School’s Out Camps
📍 Leigh Farm Park, Durham, NC
🗓️ Required availability, 9 AM–3:30 PM: Sept. 21–25, Sept. 28–Oct. 2, Oct. 5–9

Homeschool in the Wild
📍 Leigh Farm Park, Durham, NC
🗓️ Required availability, 9 AM–3:30 PM: Thursdays, Sept. 17-Dec. 10 (No program Nov. 26)

➡️ Counselors also have opportunities to substitute for camps and homeschool as needed.

If you love the outdoors and enjoy working with kids, we’d love to hear from you!

Apply today: https://www.piedmontwildlifecenter.org/employment

08/17/2026

Meet Twizzler, our newest Wildlife Ambassador! 🐍

Twizzler may be small, but he has a big personality. He's energetic, curious, and loves exploring his new enclosure.

He also sports bold red, black, and white bands that are more than just beautiful; they’re part of a clever survival strategy called mimicry. Coastal Plains Milksnakes resemble the venomous Eastern Coral Snake, which keeps them safe by discouraging predators.

Twizzler joins five other Snake Ambassadors at PWC, including another milksnake named Izzy. Despite their name, which comes from an old wives' tale about snakes sneaking into barns to steal milk from cows, milksnakes actually visit farms searching for mice and rats. 🐭 As non-venomous constrictors, they serve as vital, natural pest control in our ecosystem.

Join us in giving Twizzler a super sweet welcome to his new home at PWC! ❤

08/14/2026

We were excited to spot this crayfish at Umstead State Park! 🌳

Crayfish are a bioindicator species, meaning scientists can assess the health of an ecosystem based on their presence or absence. Just like doctors check our pulse to see how our bodies are doing, scientists look at bioindicator populations to see how the ecosystem is doing. 💚

So, seeing native crayfish can be a good sign that a body of water and its surrounding environment are healthy!