From the Kitchen to the Clinic: A Wildlife Center Thanksgiving

A Fox Squirrel patient at the Center eating a walnut

While many Americans are preparing for their big Thanksgiving dinners, the staff at the Wildlife Center are busy planning their own holiday feast—this one for a guest list of 157 wild animals! Dr. Natalie, Licensed Veterinary Technicians Jess and Erin, and rehabilitators Alex and Kavya will be on-site, caring for 18 ambassador animals and 139 wildlife patients.

Turkey, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce aren’t on the Wildlife Center menus. Instead, Alex and Kavya will be creating dozens of species-specific diets. While 157 may seem like a large guest list, Thanksgiving at the Center is much like any other day in the animal kitchen. The staff ensures every meal meets each species' nutritional needs and each patient’s unique preferences or limitations.

While the rehabilitators are busy preparing meals, Dr. Natalie and Erin will focus on their own critical Thanksgiving duties: morning treatments and medical care for any animal in need. From bandage changes to emergency procedures, the team is ready for anything—because at the Wildlife Center, there’s no such thing as a holiday break when it comes to saving lives.

This year’s Thanksgiving guest list at the Wildlife Center includes:

  • 1 American Bittern
  • 7 American Black Bears  The Center's Black Bear cubs eating a pile of leafy greens
  • 1 American Crow
  • 2 American Kestrel 
  • 1 American Robin
  • 3 Bald Eagles
  • 1 Baltimore Oriole
  • 10 Barred Owls
  • 1 Blue Jay
  • 1 Broad-winged Hawk
  • 1 Cedar Waxwing
  • 5 Common Musk Turtles
  • 2 Cooper's Hawks
  • 1 Cornsnake
  • 2 Dekay's Brown Snakes
  • 1 Eastern Bluebird 
  • 1 Eastern CottontailA box turtle patient enjoying a tomato and leafy greens
  • 4 Eastern Gray Squirrels
  • 7 Eastern Painted Turtles
  • 6 Eastern Ratsnakes
  • 10 Eastern Screech-Owls
  • 6 Great Horned Owls
  • 1 Green Tree Frog
  • 1 Gyrfalcon
  • 1 Northern Cardinal
  • 1 Peregrine Falcon
  • 1 Red Fox
  • 3 Red-shouldered Hawks
  • 7 Red-tailed Hawks An opossum eating cranberries
  • 1 Ruby-throated Hummingbird 
  • 1 Russian Tortoise
  • 1 Snapping Turtle 
  • 5 Virginia Opossums 
  • 1 Western Hog-nosed Snake
  • 1 White-throated Sparrow 
  • 1 Wood Turtle
  • 52 Woodland Box Turtles 
  • 5 Yellow-bellied Sliders

And the staff will be ready for any new patients that might arrive—which is always possible, any day of the year. By the time the staff head home to their own Thanksgiving dinners, all 157 animals will be fed, watered, and cared for.

This Thanksgiving, we have one more seat at the table … you! Thanks to your generosity and support, we’re able to continue providing vital care to these patients and so many other animals in need. On behalf of the staff and patients, we send our heartfelt wishes for a safe and joyous holiday. Our patients are thankful for your support … and so are we!

Happy Thanksgiving!