Woodland Critters

08/16/2026

Good morning! Happy Sunday! Raccoons enjoying their breakfast snack. Hope this puts a smile on your face!!!

07/29/2026

07/27/2026

S**o River Wildlife Center

🚨 Rodenticides. Kill. Wildlife. 🚨 Plain and simple. In this case, a mother raccoon was poisoned. And then her three babies were, too.

This week, we received three baby raccoons who initially seemed like normal orphans. But within days, all three began experiencing seizures. Despite our best efforts and the compassionate work of our veterinary team, they either passed away on their own or had to be humanely euthanized.

Dr. Maggie, one of our trusted vets, sent the babies in for testing to determine the cause. The heartbreaking results? Both necropsied raccoons showed changes in the brain consistent with bromethalin toxicity, a type of rat poison commonly sold over the counter. No infectious causes were found.

Tragically, there is no antidote for bromethalin. Once it’s in their system, there's nothing we can do.

These babies likely became poisoned through their mother. She may have consumed the toxin and passed it along to them through her milk before she succumbed herself.

This is a sobering reminder: Rodenticides don’t just kill rodents. They affect everything up the food chain: raccoons, owls, foxes, and, yes, even pets. They are inhumane and cause a slow, painful death for animals simply existing.

Wildlife often fall victim simply by doing what comes naturally: eating, hunting, nursing, or scavenging.

Please consider using wildlife-safe alternatives when addressing pest problems. Humane exclusion methods, deterrents, and proper food storage are all better options than poison. Wildlife rehabilitation centers are also a resource to contact.

A more humane world starts with awareness, education, and saying "NO!" to rodenticides.

07/26/2026

Round two of baby squirrel season has begun!

Many people are surprised to learn that gray and red squirrels typically have two litters each year, so wildlife rehabilitators begin receiving another wave of baby squirrels in mid-to-late summer.

While it's natural to want to help, reuniting healthy babies with their mother is always our first goal. Mother squirrels are devoted parents and will often retrieve their babies when given the opportunity.

If you've found a baby squirrel, don't guess, call a licensed wildlife rehabilitator first. We can help determine whether the baby should be reunited with its mother or admitted for care.

Wildlife rehabilitation is powered by people. A quick phone call can make all the difference for a baby squirrel and give it the best chance to grow up wild.

07/21/2026

You took the trash out in the dark and I was near the edge of the driveway. I arched my back. I growled and hissed loudly. Then I stood straight up on my hind legs.

You dropped the bag and ran inside.

I'm a raccoon. I've been living under your deck for a year. I move by touch and sound more than sight at night, and the performance you just watched wasn't aggression — it was me trying to convince you I wasn't worth the trouble so you'd leave me alone.

🦝 The growl, the arch, and the stand-up are designed to give you every chance to leave.

I do this because bluffing costs me. That dramatic display takes energy and can leave me exposed if it turns into a real fight. Every time I stand up for something that wasn't a real threat is energy I could have spent foraging safely. I don't want to waste it on you.

Here's what most people don't know. While you sleep, I dig up grubs and beetle larvae that ruin your lawn. I raid ground-nesting yellowjacket colonies. I eat the insects and mice working their way toward your foundation. I clean up fallen fruit and carrion that could attract other pests.

By midsummer, you might see a mother leading a group of young raccoons through the grass at dusk. They're learning to forage and hunt grubs. They already know how to arch their tiny backs and stand up tall.

🌿 If you see me:

Stop moving and speak softly — I rely on my hearing and sense of touch at night. Let me know you're a person and I'll amble the other way

Back away slowly — the bluff ends the moment I feel you retreating

Don't trap and relocate me — you'd lose the only thing in the yard actively cleaning up grubs, yellowjackets, and mice before they become problems

I've been working your property line for a year, eating the things that sting and the things that chew your turf. You only noticed me the night I asked for space.

That's because I'm good at my job 🌱

07/15/2026

THE REAL REASON WILDLIFE REHABBERS ASK YOU NOT TO FEED THAT BABY…

It’s not because we want to hog all the fun for ourselves, I promise. It’s because wild orphans aren’t typically healthy enough to digest food, when they are found.

Many are hypothermic. The body can’t even handle water when its core temperature is too low. All energy is going to crucial body functions in that state. If the body has to divert energy to digesting, - it will likely be fatal.

Many orphans are very dehydrated. Animals can’t digest properly when they are dehydrated. The body pulls water into the intestines to aid with digestion. If there isn’t any water to pull from, this could cause a domino affect of problems.

All wild baby animals require a specific diet and that diet generally isn’t available in local stores. Feeding the wrong formula could cause an upset stomach or worse.

All baby animals need specific amounts of formula calculated by their body weight. The percentage differs depending on the species.

Not every animal can drink from a bottle. The correct instrument must be used to prevent aspiration and over feeding.
Bring us a thin, dehydrated, hypothermic animal and we can probably save it. Feed that same animal before you bring it to us…there’s likely nothing we can do to bring it back.

So PLEASE, don’t feed any wild orphans that you have found this baby season. Keeping them warm is a huge help until you find a licensed wildlife rehabilitator.

Please spread the word. ❤️🙏❤️