Happy Thanksgiving, from the Wildlife Center of Virginia!
Many Americans are busily preparing for their Thanksgiving meals, planning and creating various tasty dishes to share with family and friends. The staff at the Center are also checking their ingredients and updating their guest list — at this point, the staff expects a crowd of more than 130!
Dr. Karra, Dr. Emma, Licensed Veterinary Technicians Jess and Rachel, rehabilitators Alex and Liz, along with veterinary student Giovanna, will be at the Wildlife Center on Thanksgiving Day, caring for 21 education ambassador animals and approximately 113 wild patients. Alex and her crew will be preparing and delivering meals, as well as cleaning enclosures and updating patient records. While 130 may seem like a large guest list, this will be a fairly "easy" day compared to this summer when we had about 300 patients to serve!
Turkey, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce aren’t on the Wildlife Center menus – instead of a traditional family-style Thanksgiving meal, the Wildlife Center crew is making dozens of species-specific diets that cater to each species' needs and each patient’s particular desires.
Rehabilitator Recipe cards include:
While the rehabilitators are busy in the kitchen, Dr. Karra and her team will go through morning treatments for patients in need of medications, bandage changes, daily checks, or other medical procedures. And they’ll be ready for any new patients that might arrive — always a possibility, any day of the year. By the time the staff go home to their Thanksgiving dinners, all 130 animals will be fed, watered, and cared for.
The Center is able to provide quality healthcare to wild animals in need through the generosity and support of caring individuals. We send you our best wishes for a wonderful holiday. Our patients are thankful for your support … and we are too!
This year’s anticipated Thanksgiving guest list at the Wildlife Center includes:
5 American Black Bears- 2 American Kestrels
- 1 American Robin
- 8 Bald Eagles
- 7 Barred Owls
- 1 Broad-winged Hawk
- 1 Brown-headed Cowbird
- 1 Carolina Wren
- 2 Common Musk Turtles
- 1 Cornsnake
- 2 Eastern American Toads
- 32 Eastern Box Turtles
- 13 Eastern Gray Squirrels
- 1 Eastern Hog-nosed Snake
- 6 Eastern Painted Turtles
- 4 Eastern Ratsnakes
- 1 Eastern Red Bat
- 1 Eastern River Cooter
- 6 Eastern Screech-Owls
- 6 Great Horned Owls
- 1 Gyrfalcon
- 1 Northern Cardinal
- 1 Peregrine Falcon
- 2 Red Foxes
- 3 Red-shouldered Hawks
- 6 Red-tailed Hawks
- 1 Russian Tortoise
- 6 Virginia Opossums
- 1 Western Hog-nosed Snake
- 1 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
- 10 Yellow-bellied Sliders
Happy Thanksgiving to all!
