FourWands Wildlife Rehabilitation

06/15/2026

Remember the porcupine who arrived several weeks ago struggling to breathe? ❤️🦔

I'm thrilled to share that he was discharged from The Janet L. Swanson Wildlife Hospital at Cornell University last week! 🎉

This little guy battled both bacterial and viral pneumonia that severely damaged his lungs, and there was a time when simply getting enough air was a challenge. While he's not completely recovered yet, he improved enough to leave the hospital and continue his rehabilitation with Kathleen.

With a few more weeks of rest and recovery, we're hopeful he'll be strong enough to return to the wild where he belongs. 🌲🍃

Many, many thanks to Kathleen and the incredible staff at the Janet L. Swanson Wildlife Hospital for their expertise, dedication, and compassionate care. They gave this porcupine a second chance.

And because porcupines insist on keeping us humble, the attached photo is a still from a video taken after his discharge. Apparently, surviving pneumonia wasn't exciting enough. He escaped, had himself a little celebration, made a mess, and then hid in a closet. 🤣❤️

Wildlife rehabilitation can be exhausting. It can be heartbreaking. But every once in a while, you get to witness something wonderful.

Here's hoping that in a few short weeks, this determined little guy will be back where he belongs... in the wild.

06/08/2026

🐿️❤️
Blackberry continues to amaze us!
When Blackberry arrived, she had a severe head tilt and struggled just to stay upright. She has made tremendous progress and is doing very, very well, but she still has a mild tilt, so she's not quite ready for release yet.
After a game of musical cages trying to find the setup she liked best, Blackberry discovered her wheel last night...
And apparently decided she had been training for the Chipmunk Olympics this entire time. 🏃‍♀️💨
If anyone can figure out how to hook this thing up to the electrical grid, please let me know. I suspect Blackberry could power the entire house by herself. 🤔⚡
For now, we'll just enjoy watching her zoom around like a tiny furry maniac while she continues her recovery. ❤️

06/07/2026

Grasshopper with a hazelnut.

06/06/2026

While their siblings were still sleeping, Chucky and Russell gorged themselves on all the good stuff. 😁

06/05/2026

I took this a couple of days ago. That Chucky and two of his foster siblings. (I would need to see more of them to know who but I think it's Nesquik and Fresa.)

06/04/2026

🐿️❤️ A Very Special Thank You! ❤️🐿️

A huge thank you to the incredibly generous person who donated a new exercise wheel for one of our squirrels!

This morning, Snickers graduated to a "big squirrel" cage, and she is already enjoying her wonderful new setup. Exercise wheels provide both physical activity and mental enrichment, helping squirrels stay healthy, active, and engaged.

As many of you know, Snickers may ultimately become a permanent resident, so this gift will help keep her happy and busy for years to come.

Your kindness and support mean so much to us and to the animals in our care. Thank you for helping us give Snickers the best life possible. ❤️🐿️

(Pictured: Snickers and her brand-new wheel, which she is currently evaluating with the level of scrutiny only a squirrel can provide. 😄)

05/30/2026

So happy for Aria!!

05/27/2026

For years, many of you have followed the stories of the animals here at FourWands Wildlife Rehabilitation. You’ve celebrated releases, mourned losses, laughed at ridiculous squirrel behavior, and helped support thousands of native wild animals over the years.

Now, some of those stories are becoming something new.

While recovering this year from multiple pelvic fractures that are still healing, I needed something creative to focus on during the long stretches where I physically couldn’t do the work I normally do. Somewhere in that recovery process, FourWands Puzzles was born.

And honestly? I’m REALLY excited (and a bit terrified!) about it. 😊

No, I am NOT giving up wildlife rehabilitation.
Wildlife rehab will always come first.

But the reality is that rehab work is emotionally, physically, and financially exhausting, and this project is an opportunity to create something sustainable for myself while also continuing to support the animals. Going forward, company policy will be that $1 from every puzzle sold will be donated directly back to FourWands Wildlife Rehabilitation.

These puzzles are not random generic images pulled from nowhere. Many will feature real patients whose stories you already know and love. Some designs will use AI-assisted artwork, others will use real photography, and many will blend storytelling, wildlife education, and art together into something unique.

Our very first release is now LIVE on Kickstarter:

“French Fry Friday” 🍟🐿️

This special edition run is limited to ONLY 300 puzzles total. Each puzzle will be individually numbered as part of this first production run. Once they are gone, this exact edition will never be produced again.

The puzzles are being manufactured using premium materials because I wanted these to feel like something truly special and collectible.

I also want to mention this upfront: I am only going to post about this Kickstarter once on social media because I never want followers to feel bombarded or pressured. Kickstarter is simply the platform being used to raise the initial production funds needed to make these puzzles a reality.

If the Kickstarter succeeds, future puzzle releases will eventually be available through Amazon.

If you’d like to support this weird little wildlife-meets-art-meets-puzzles dream, share the campaign, tell puzzle-loving friends, or consider reserving one of the 300 copies.

Thank you, truly, for following this journey for all these years. ❤️

A limited-edition 1000-piece puzzle starring Phil, Claudia, Peanut, and Rocky — only 300 will ever exist.

05/26/2026

Update!
Thank you all who helped out today!!

Moosh’s vet bill was paid in full today. A big thank you to everyone, especially FourWands Wildlife Rehabilitation for putting it out to her network.
Thank you to those who also donated from my page.
This woman is an angel to walk this earth and helped an orphaned skunk I found a few years ago named Charles.
I am sobbing.
I love you all.

05/26/2026

Update!!
Thank you all for helping out Stephy. Moosh’s bill has been covered! ❤️ Thank you!

A couple of years ago, our friend Stephy brought us a tiny baby skunk we named Charles. ❤️🦨
On Thursday morning, Stephy’s world changed in an instant. The house where she rented an apartment caught fire and was completely destroyed. Stephy and her son made it out safely, but they lost everything. Clothing, belongings, keepsakes, even Stephy’s glasses. Gone.
In the middle of the chaos, Stephy tried desperately to save her cat, Moosh, from the burning house through a window and suffered lacerations requiring stitches in the process. Human beings really will run directly into danger for the creatures they love. Civilization somehow survives entirely because of people like that.
Moosh survived and required veterinary care, but the bill is substantial. While this isn’t a wildlife-related fundraiser, Stephy has been kind to FourWands and to the animals we care for, and we wanted to try to help her in return.
If anyone is able to contribute even $5 toward Moosh’s veterinary bill, we would be incredibly grateful. Donations can be made directly to:
📍Charlestown Animal Hospital
📞 603-826-3300
(The invoice is under the name “June Brink.” June is Stephy’s mother and the person who rushed Moosh to the vet during the chaos that morning.)
Thank you for caring about the people behind the rescues too. ❤️