Education Ambassadors

Find out more about sponsoring our Ambassador Animals

Buddy Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

This eagle hatched on April 27, 2008, in a nest at the Norfolk Botanical Garden. Thousands of individuals worldwide followed his life through “EagleCam” — a web-based camera — and soon noticed a lump developing on the side of the bird’s beak. In May 2008, the eagle was taken from his nest and admitted as a patient at the Wildlife Center. Lab tests revealed that the lesion on his beak was Avian Pox. Despite an all-out effort by Center veterinarians, the pox lesion caused a permanent misalignment in Buddy's beak, which requires trimming every six weeks. Buddy is one of the Center's most famous education ambassadors and greets hundreds of visitors each year at on-site tours and open houses. In 2026, Buddy represented the Wildlife Center during King Charles III’s historic visit to Shenandoah National Park. He is also often seen on Critter Cam!

Learn more about Buddy

Clover American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)

Clover’s family was regularly monitored and banded by permitted American Kestrel banders in Augusta County. In 2021, Clover hatched and the permitted banders—also falconers—removed Clover and trained her as a falconry bird. She was released back to the wild in the fall of 2021. Clover came to the Wildlife Center of Virginia in November 2021 after she was attempting to follow humans at a local gas station; Center staff evaluated her behavior and deemed that she was imprinted on humans.

Watch a video about working with Clover on the Center's YouTube channel.

Verlon American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)

This kestrel hatched in the spring of 2016 and was admitted to the Center with his two siblings after their nesting tree was cut down. The birds were not able to be reunited with their parents and were transferred to a permitted wildlife rehabilitation facility. Despite being raised with other kestrels, Verlon imprinted on humans, which means he cannot be released back to the wild. He joined the education ambassador team in the fall of 2016.

The naming rights for Verlon were auctioned off at the 2016 gala & benefit auction. The winner chose to name the kestrel in honor of her mother.

Maggie Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)

Maggie hatched in the spring of 2014, atop a building in downtown Richmond that was on the Richmond Falcon Cam. Two days after fledging from her nest, the young falcon crashed into a building, severely damaging her left eye and fracturing the tip of her beak. Wildlife Center veterinarians treated Maggie’s eye with medication for several weeks, but about a month after admission, the veterinary team had to surgically remove the damaged eye. With only one eye, Maggie cannot see well enough to be released back into the wild.

Maggie’s naming rights were auctioned off at the Center’s annual Gala in November 2014. A group of secret schemers pooled their funds and won—and promptly gifted the naming rights to Director of Outreach Amanda Nicholson, one of Maggie’s trainers. Amanda chose to honor the falcon’s Richmond roots. After all, Peregrine Falcons are not all that common in Virginia, and the nesting Richmond falcons have contributed significantly to the Virginia population. Maggie is named in honor of Richmonder Maggie Walker (1867 – 1934), who was a well-known teacher, the first woman president of a bank, and an advocate for people with disabilities.

Maggie has her very own children’s book — Maggie the One-eyed Peregrine Falcon, written by Christy Gove.

Ruby Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)

Ruby was hit by a car in Dayton, Virginia in February 2010. When she arrived at the Center, the veterinary team found a fracture in her left wing as well as severe trauma to her right eye. After weeks of cage rest and bandaging, her wing healed—but her right eye had to be surgically removed. Unfortunately, with limited vision, Ruby cannot see well enough to be released back into the wild.

In January 2011, the Wildlife Center asked for the help of elementary school children in suggesting names for this hawk. More than 170 names were submitted. The “final five” were put to an online public vote. The winning name was Ruby.

That name was suggested by Ms. Phelps’ first-grade class at South River Elementary in Grottoes. In submitting the nomination, Ms. Phelps wrote, “We are currently studying Ruby Bridges. The kids thought since Ruby was a brave girl who fought to have a better life and since rubies are red, this would be a good name for a female red-tailed-hawk who also fought for her life.” As a six-year old girl, Ruby Bridges integrated an all-white elementary school in New Orleans. Her experience inspired the iconic painting by Norman Rockwell, The Problem We All Live With.

Rosalie Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)

Rosalie was transferred to the Wildlife Center in July 2016 from another wildlife rehabilitator. Though Rosalie's full history is unknown, her records indicated that she was previously deemed non-releasable because of arthritis in her left hip. The veterinarians at the Wildlife Center also discovered a "false joint" in her right hip; her hip had luxated at some point and healed improperly, creating scar tissue around the joint and limiting movement of her right leg. Rosalie cannot be released into the wild and became an ambassador at the Wildlife Center in December 2016.

Rosalie was named after Rosalie Barrow Edge—a suffragist and advocate for wildlife conservation. In 1934, Rosalie Edge founded the first preserve for birds of prey—Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in Pennsylvania. She was known for her strong personality and fierce activism for birds of prey and other wildlife.

Watch a video about working with Rosalie on the Center's YouTube channel.

Rowan Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)

In April 2019, this very young Red-tailed Hawk was found with his deceased sibling by the side of the road in Washington County, Virginia. The two nestling birds fell out of their nearby nest after a storm. Rowan had a fractured leg and an injured left eye. He was taken to the Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center of Roanoke for treatment and transferred to the Wildlife Center of Virginia in May 2019.

Unfortunately, the trauma to the hawk’s left eye caused permanent vision loss, preventing Rowan’s release back to the wild. Center staff started training the hawk in June to become a member of the education ambassador team. The hawk’s naming rights were auctioned at the November 2019 Gala; Rowan was the winning bidder's choice. Rowan is an Irish/Scottish name meaning “little red one,” a fitting name for the Center's littlest Red-tailed Hawk.

Athena Barred Owl (Strix varia)

Athena was found on the ground in Richmond in September 2012. An animal control officer picked up the owl and took her to a local permitted rehabilitator. Athena was weak, uncoordinated, and also had significant retinal degeneration in both eyes. Based on these symptoms, the Center’s veterinarians believe that the owl may have been affected by West Nile Virus. Due to the partial blindness, Athena is non-releasable.

In January 2013, the Center kicked off a naming contest for this new education Barred Owl and solicited suggests from K-12 classrooms from around the world. In total, 86 suggestions were submitted from schools in 13 different states and Canada. Five names were put to a public vote – the winner was Athena, submitted by Mrs. Hill’s 6th-8th grade Wildlife Club at Fort Bragg, NC. "I sent the students to research owls and come back with a suggested name for a girl owl. The key was researching owls and what other cultures believed about them. Three brought the ancient Greek history to me with Athena as a possible name. ‘From ancient Athens, the silver four-drachma coin bore the image of the owl on the obverse side as a symbol of the city’s patron, Athene Pronoia, the Greek goddess of wisdom who, in an earlier incarnation, was goddess of darkness’ (The Owl Pages: Owls in Lore and Culture). We know it is a female and are suggesting Athena based on the Greek goddess of wisdom who was also the goddess of darkness!"

Lucy Virginia Opossum (Didelphis virginiana)

Lucy was admitted to the Wildlife Center as a young opossum in July 2025 after she was found injured outside a church in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Upon examination, the Center's veterinary team discovered multiple puncture wounds and fractures on the right side of her face, likely the result of a predator attack. While most of her injuries healed, her right eye suffered irreversible damage and had to be surgically removed. With only one eye, Lucy could no longer safely survive in the wild and was deemed non-releasable. She began her training as an education ambassador thereafter and officially joined the ambassador team in August 2025.

Lucy's name was chosen through an auction held during the Center’s Annual Gala. The winning bidder selected “Lucy” in memory of their grandmother.

Tippy Virginia Opossum (Didelphis virginiana)

Tippy was transferred to the Wildlife Center in April 2026 from another wildlife rehabilitator. While her full history is unknown, the Center's veterinary team discovered two fractures in her tail. The damage was irreversible, and veterinary staff had to surgically amputate most of her tail. As a result, she could no longer safely be released back to the wild. Outreach staff then began evaluating her as a potential animal ambassador, and she officially joined the ambassador team in May.

Tippy's name was chosen through an auction held during the Center’s Annual Gala. The winning bidder selected “Tippy” as a nod to her white-tipped ears, a characteristic common in juvenile opossums.

Allegheny Central Ratsnake (Pantherophis alleghaniensis)

This Central Ratsnake was admitted to the Wildlife Center in December 2021. The snake was taken from an unknown location in the wild and kept for an unknown period of time before a friend of the snake's former owner intervened and brought the ratsnake to the Center. Because this snake's original home territory and length of time in captivity are unknown, he is unable to be released into the wild. In October 2022, the Center held a naming contest to determine this ambassador's name; a total of 191 suggestions were submitted from 16 different states and even other countries! In the end, Allegheny was chosen due to the mountain region that is both a part of the species' natural habitat as well as its scientific name, Pantherophis alleghaniensis.

Elliott Western Hog-nosed Snake (Heterodon nasicus)

Elliott is a Western Hog-nosed Snake who was purchased from a breeder in 2018 as a two-year-old snake. He was kept as a pet for about six months, but Elliott’s owner was concerned that he wasn’t happy in her house; she reached out to the Wildlife Center to see if he could be an education ambassador. Since Western Hog-nosed snakes are not native to Virginia, and because Elliott was bred in captivity, he could never be released to the wild.

Because Western Hog-nosed Snakes naturally live in the dry prairies and plains of the central United States – the region that many Americans associate with cowboys – this little hog-nosed snake was named after Sam Elliott, an actor who is well-known for his many roles as the classic American cowboy.

Ziggy Eastern Hog-nosed Snake (Heterodon platirhinos)

On February 19, 2026, this young Eastern Hog-nosed Snake was admitted to the Center after being discovered by a homeowner in a soil delivery. The snake was initially given to a friend of the homeowner, who cared for her as a pet for approximately six months. During that time, they learned that Eastern Hog-nosed Snakes are listed as a Species of Greatest Conservation Need in Virginia and cannot legally be kept as pets. They contacted the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources for guidance and were advised to bring the snake to the Wildlife Center for appropriate care.

Upon admission, the Center's veterinary team determined that the snake could not be released because she had been kept in captivity, and her exact origin was unknown. However, her calm demeanor made her an excellent candidate for the Center's ambassador program. The snake adjusted quickly to her new role and officially joined the education ambassador team in March 2026. A naming fundraiser was held shortly after; Ziggy was selected as the winning name, inspired by the winding, zig-zagging movements of a slithering snake. The simple, friendly name is easy for visitors—especially children—to remember and helps encourage curiosity and appreciation for snakes rather than fear.

Emma Russian Tortoise (Testudo horsfieldii)

Emma came to the Wildlife Center in October 2000. She was found wandering the grounds of the University of Virginia, far from her native desert territory. Most likely an escaped or abandoned pet, Emma could not survive on her own in this climate. Emma now lives at the Wildlife Center and teaches children the importance of leaving native animals in their natural environment.

Sheldon Woodland Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina)

In June 2013, Sheldon was found at the Natural Chimney Park and Campground – her carapace [upper shell] was entirely painted in a variety of bright paints and fingernail polish. She also had an abscess on her back left leg. Over several weeks, Center veterinarians were able to slowly and carefully remove the paint, and also treated her infected leg. By October, Sheldon was healthy and looking more like a box turtle, but staff were never able to determine how long the turtle was with the people who painted her and didn’t know from where Sheldon was taken. She was placed as an education animal at Natural Chimney Park and Campground. In 2019, the park was renovating its store area and transferred her back to the Wildlife Center to be an education turtle.

Wilson Woodland Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina)

Wilson was found at Maymont Park in Richmond in October 2009. He was likely an unwanted or escaped pet. When he was found, his entire upper shell had been painted purple. Center veterinary staff painstakingly removed this paint. However, because Wilson had likely been taken from the wild and kept for some time as a pet, he cannot be returned to the wild