"Amelia" (Southern Flying Squirrel)

Her Story: Amelia was born in the Fall of 2000. Unfortunately, the owner of the tree did not know about her mom's nest when he cut the tree down. When she came to us, she was two inches long and naked with her eyes and ears still closed. She became very comfortable being around humans, which is not good for any wild animal. Amelia gives everyone the chance to see a very elusive, nocturnal member of the squirrel family.

"Hickory" (Eastern Gray Squirrel)

His Story: Hickory was a baby in the Fall of 2002 baby. He came to the WWC after falling out of a tree (landing on his face), being thrown around by a dog, and lying out in the rain all night! Amazingly, he survived! Unfortunately, the fall from the tree left him with a malocclusion (a faulty contact between the upper and lower teeth when the jaw is closed) that was not repairable. A squirrel that has to have his teeth trimmed is not releasable, so he became one of our educational squirrels.

"Matilta" (Fox Squirrel)

Her Story: Matilta is an adult Fox Squirrel that came to us after being hit by a car. After her recovery, she never fully regained her balance, so she cannot climb well. A squirrels must be able to climb well in order to evade predators in the wild, so she was not releasable. As it turned out, she doesn't mind people at all and actually enjoys being in the limelight during our educational programs.

"Sprout" (White-tailed Deer)

Her Story: Sprout is a white-tailed deer with a very important occupation at the WWC: she is a surrogate mom to the orphan fawns. Sprout can be seen running and playing with the fawns, but has been known to gently head butt the occasional misbehaving fawn to let him know that enough is enough.

Sprout was attacked by a dog while taking a walk with her mom on a beautiful Spring evening when she was about a week old. The dog twisted her foot backwards, causing permanent damage, so Sprout would never be able to run like a deer. When Sprout was a year old, she underwent surgery to remove one of her digits from the injured leg, making it more comfortable for her to stand and walk.

"Windstorm" (Raccoon)

Her Story: Windstorm came to WWC as an orphaned baby in 2005. As she grew, she started to limp. We discovered that she has some problems with her hip joints, and while she is perfectly comfortable in her enclosure at the center in our care, she would probably have suffered from pain if she had been released into the wild. We are glad that she found her way to us while she was young, so that she can help us teach about survival!

"Beavis" (North American Beaver)

Her Story: Beavis came to WWC as a one-pound baby. Her home and family had been washed away in a flood. The WWC searched the state for another baby beaver to raise with Beavis but could find no other orphans. Single beavers are not good candidates for release; because of their family structure, their chance for survival is only about 25%. Coupled with the likelihood that he would be shot by humans, it was suggested by the DNR that Beavis be licensed as an educational animal to the WWC to teach people how to coexist with beavers. We lost Beavis in 2006, and she is greatly missed.

"Mr. Fuzzy Bear" (Raccoon)

His Story: Mr. Fuzzy Bear was the FIRST of our animal family to be licensed for education! He was the only survivor from a litter of baby raccoons that was attacked by a dog. Fuzzy's right hind leg was left severely damaged and needed to be amputated. Fuzzy's favorite things were playing and grapes! He has been retired from our educational programs due to his age, and seems to be enjoying his life of leisure.

"Princess" (Raccoon)

Her Story: Princess was the only survivor from a litter of raccoon babies that contracted canine distemper from an unvaccinated dog. The distemper left her about 80% blind and not releasable.

We lost Princess in 2005 to lasting complications from canine distemper. Please help stop this disease, have your dogs and cats vaccinated yearly for canine and feline distemper.