Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue

If at first you don't succeed: Fly, fly again. This gangly cooper's hawk left the nest a bit too early. Following a couple of days of supportive care to ensure excellent hydration and nutrition she was re-nested. The hawk is once a gain being diligently cared for by her parents, and should be ready to soar soon.

This Pallid Bat, orphaned Raccoon, and litter of infant Opossums are some of the over 150 orphaned and injured animals we are caring for right now. Summer is always the busiest season for wildlife rehabilitation. Thanks to our hearty interns and dedicated small crew of staff these animals are healing, growing, and should be ready for release later this season!

Our organization relies heavily on interns during baby season. The students who walk through our doors are pursuing careers related to wildlife rescue, rehabilitation, education, conservation, biology, research, and so forth. As you can see, they will be quite valuable to the future of our wild neighbors. They help staff with many tasks including medicating animals, feeding babies, rescues, and tons of cleaning! Since we are a non-profit organization with limited funding, we ...are unable to pay interns for the amazing work they do. We are reaching out to our community in the hopes that you may be able to help us provide small tokens of appreciation to give to our interns in the form of gift cards. Please consider donating a gift card of any value you are comfortable with from a local restaurant, a card for groceries, or a gas card to help with the cost of fuel when driving to and from work. These students work so hard and would appreciate anything you have to offer. If you would like to donate gift cards to this important cause, please drop them off at 403 Mecham Rd. Petaluma, CA 95492 or mail your contribution to Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue, RE: Summer Interns, P.O. Box 448 Cotati, CA 94931. If you are unable to pick up gift cards to drop off or mail but would like to donate directly to this cause, please use the link below to donate. With gratitude from our whole entire staff, we thank you all in advance. Click here to donate today: https://www.paypal.com/donate/

Remember our two turkey vulture chicks?! They have grown tremendously in the past few weeks and are being fostered by our very own education ambassador, Hugo! Since renesting was not an option for these two and turkey vultures at this age can easily imprint on humans, we enlisted Hugo to provide them with exposure turkey vultures until they are ready to return to the wild. In this video, watch the chicks navigating a divider between the two enclosures to get to Hugo's food on the other side.

Our weaning, orphaned raccoons are offered a healthy portion of Raccoon Custard every day. This is a homemade recipe that helps our raccoons’ shift from formula to solid food. By the looks of it, this messy eater has had no issues with their transition!

Once again, we are overwhelmed with gratitude because, in less than 48 hours, we have raised a total of $21,540 towards our Apex Predator Enclosure! With special thanks to a very generous donor, who offered to match your donations up to $20,000, we have now raised $41,540 towards building a new Black Bear Care Facility! We are in complete awe of the 123 people who gave what they could to help make this happen. Your kindness and giving spirit continue to fuel our fire. From the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU! We are now within $9,000 of hitting this project’s first major milestone of $50,000! This is the estimated amount that it will cost us to purchase the building for the Black Bear Care Hospital. Help us get closer to this milestone by donating today: bit.ly/APE0624

Good news upon good news! The anonymous donor that matched your donations up to $10,000 yesterday was just as thrilled as we were that our goal was met within 24 hours. In response to your generosity, this donor has expanded their matching donations to $20,000! We are so humbled and grateful for the support we have received in this endeavor so far and hope that you will continue to support us in reaching our next goal of matching this new amount. If we can meet this next goal..., we will be within $10,000 of the estimated $50,000 that it will cost to build the Black Bear Care Hospital, the first of many phases in this project. Help us get closer to this milestone by donating today! Click here to have your donation doubled today: https://bit.ly/APEMatch0623 We thank you for your ongoing support. If you missed our first announcement about our Apex Predator enclosure, please click here to read more: https://conta.cc/35RweFS

Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue has an exciting update to our June 17th announcement: We are thrilled to announce that the next $10,000 in donations towards the Apex Predator Enclosure will be matched! A generous donor has offered to DOUBLE your contributions up to $10,000! That means that by donating now, you can make twice the impact for our local bear cubs!... Click here to have your donation matched today: https://bit.ly/APEMatch We thank you for your ongoing support. If you missed our first announcement about our Apex Predator enclosure, please click here to read more: https://conta.cc/3xDFzNq

This spotted skunk came into care at Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue this week! Far less common than the striped skunk, the spotted skunk is known for its distinct markings! Spotted skunks also tend to be behaviorally closer to weasels and are much bolder in their reactions to humans. Smaller and much better at climbing than the striped skunk, they are known to be escape artists, so we will have to keep an extra close eye on this one until they are ready to go back out into the wild!

The best way to beat the heat at SCWR is with a frozen watermelon!

Dear Supporters, We need YOUR HELP to build a new structure needed to help rescue animals we have not been previously able to rehabilitate on siteBLACK BEARS! We are calling this facility the Apex Predator Enclosure, or APE. Black Bear populations are returning and growing in our Sonoma County! However, the wonderful area that we share with bears has changed dramatically in the nearly two centuries since bear populations were decimated. The increase in wildfires is especiall...y threatening to our bear population. Even if a bear was able to survive a wildfire, the resultant scarcity of food and the painful burns on its paws as it traverses the burnt landscape that used to be its territory makes survival questionable. This is especially true for cubs and young bears. Indeed, bear cubs commonly require rehabilitation due to disease, loss of habitat, fire injuries, or being orphaned. Last year, on March 26, 2020, Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue became one of only a few sites in all of California to receive approval to rehabilitate black bear cubs. We hope you are as excited as we are by the opportunity and honor we have been given by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Since receiving our permit, we have spent considerable effort and time planning for what will be required for bear cub care. Now we need you! Please click here to continue reading about how you can help our local black bear population: https://conta.cc/3z5xmmU

Turkey Vulture chicks! These strange looking chicks will grow up to perform the essential service of keeping our county clean. Consuming carcasses can be a dangerous job putting some vultures in proximity to humans and our speeding vehicles. Fortunately this pair is already eating and caring for themselves, so minimal interaction is required decreasing the risk of imprinting.

A busy summer bursting with babies! Oodles of orphans continue to flow into our rehab center as we ride the long summer wave of wildlife rescues. Despite the recent fires and chaotic human diseases the last few years, there has been no decrease in the number of orphaned and injured wildlife in need of assistance. Juvenile fox kit is one of over 100 patients currently in our care. Opossums remain the most numerous furry species, but the variety of orphans needing help continues to climb. This Grey Fox is just one of the over 50 different species we have already healed this year at Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue.

Good to the last drop! This little raccoon has a MIGHTY appetite, enjoying solid foods on top of multiple bottle feeds a day!

Happy H-owl-o-ween! This lucky Great Horned Owl was brought to our center shortly after suffering multiple fractures to his left ulna. While simple fractures can have predictable good outcomes from sling support, more complicated breaks don't always heal functionally. Fortunately, the speed of care provided the needed support to the injured limb. Following a month of reluctant sling confinement this very feisty owl is now out in our large flight enclosure regaining his strength. His flight continues to improve daily, and he is back on track to return to our skies before Thanksgiving!

Just a mountain lion, holding a watermelon. #wildliferehabilitation #wildliferehab #wildliferescue #educationanimal #educationanimals #notapet #mountianlion #mountainlions #cougar #puma #bigcat #cat #catsofinstagram #sonomacounty #wildlife #wildanimals #northbay #watermelon #enrichment #animalenrichment

Happy #FreedomFriday! After spending a couple weeks in care for a head injury, this Red-tailed Hawk was ready to return to the skies of Sonoma County!

Helping the hard working janitors of the wild world. We are so grateful for the critical work turkey vultures perform by consuming rotting debris. Their unique appetite for fetid feasts also gives them an unusual defense mechanism: When fearful turkey vultures will regurgitate their foul smelling food. Fortunately this particular vulture's wing injuries have healed well. He no longer requires the close handling that caused some of our dedicated animal care staff to become a...dorned in rotting vulture vomit. This vulture has now been moved to larger flight area for increased strength conditioning. Once his wing muscles are back in flighted fullness he will return to the skies and fields of Sonoma County.

#wildliferehabilitation #wildliferehab #wildliferescue #northernraccoon #northernraccoons #raccoon #raccoons #babyraccoon #babyanimals #babyseason #sonomacounty #watchingyou

Hoary bat! Did you know their wing span can be as long or longer than a ruler! #wildliferehabilitation #wildliferehab #wildliferescue #hoarybat #hoarybats #bat #bats #wildanimals #funfact #sonomacounty

With the right help, anything is 'possum-able! This little fellow is one of the late season orphans still healing at Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue. He suffered a tail injury, and the last half-inch of his tail was a necrotic mess. After a brief surgery he is healing well and on track to return to the wild later this fall. Opossums were the most common species presenting to our center this year. With enjoyed over 350 of the delightful marsupials needing our care so far in 2020. However, it has been a very diverse year with over 1300 animals representing 82 different species total!

Bobcats can be found throughout Sonoma County. They have adapted quite well our many varying habitats including developed areas. Bobcats are known for their distinctive markings, including their tufted ears with bright white spots and their bobbed tail from which they get their name.

Coyotes have an excellent sense of smell, often sniffing the air for information on their surroundings. Their long snout also helps them access prey from small holes!

A ferocious bobcat battle! #wildliferehabilitation #wildliferehab #wildliferescue #educationanimal #educationanimals #notapet #bobcat #bobcats #cat #wildlife #sonomacounty #nonprofit #nonprofitorganization #hammocklife

Munch munch! A mexican free-tail bat enjoying a mealworms snack! Volume up for munching sounds! #wildliferehabilitation #wildliferehab #wildliferescue #mexicanfreetailedbat #bat #bats #wildanimals #wildliferehab #sonomacounty #nonprofit #animalrescue #nonprofitorganization

Thanks to your donations during our Spring Medical Equipment Fundraiser, our Education Ambassador Bobcats were able to be closely monitored during their sedated exam last month! The pulse oximeter purchased with these funds helps our animal care team track vitals during surgical procedures and sedated exams, vastly improving the scope of care we are able to provide onsite in our wildlife hospital. If you would like to donate equipment to Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue, please check out our wishlist at https://www.myregistry.com/giftlist/scwr

Freedom Friday! Remember the skunk that was rescued from a fence last week? After the initial exam, while there was some hair loss around his belly, no other wounds appeared. Check out the release as the skunk waddles into the sunset! #wildliferehabilitation #wildliferehab #wildliferescue #skunk #skunks #wildliferelease #release #animalrelease #backtonature #wildlife #nonprofitorganization #nonprofit #rescueandrelease #sonomacounty

Bird Rescue Center was evacuated early last Monday morning because of the Glass Fire in Sonoma County. They split their birds in care between us and our sister facilities: Native Songbird Care and Conservation and Wildcare. For the last week Bird Rescue Center's education Raptors were temporarily located within our Raptor Recovery Center. Thankfully they were able to return back home to their facility on Monday! We are happy that we can offer support to our wildlife care family. Please consider supporting @thebirdrescuecenter @nativesongbirdcare @wildcarebayarea #wildliferehabilitation #wildliferehab #wildliferescue #glassfire #californiafires #nonprofit #nonprofitorganization #donate #sonomacounty #sonomastrong #bird #birds #birdofprey #birdsofprey