"Amelia Earhart" (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, so she was not releasable. Amelia gives everyone the chance to see a very elusive, nocturnal member of the squirrel family.

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"Chestnut" (Eastern Gray Squirrel)

"Hazelnut" (Eastern Gray Squirrel)

Their Story: Chestnut and Hazelnut are our educational Eastern Gray Squirrels.  Chestnut (male) came to us in the Fall of 2006, while Hazelnut (female) came in Spring of 2007.  Even though they came to the center at different times, they have similar stories.  They each fell out of their nest when they were very young (before their eyes opened), landing on their face.  This caused a malocclusion (tooth misalignment).  Because squirrels have teeth that continually grow and must be kept trimmed by gnawing, this misalignment means their teeth do not wear down the way they should, and must be trimmed on a regular basis by our volunteer veterinary staff.

 

"Chuckie-Wheezer" (Groundhog)

Her Story: Chuckie-Wheezer came to the WWC in the summer 2006 after being found in the road beside her mom who had been hit by a car and killed. Chuckie's eyes were not yet open, so her mom was probably moving her; otherwise she would not have been out of the burrow yet. As she grew we noticed some wheezing due to respiratory issues (asthma-like symptoms), which meant she was not releasable.

Chuckie-Wheezer entertained everyone at the center growing up, so some of the volunteers wanted to name her Chuckles. But some of the volunteers wanted to name her Wheezer because of how she sounded when she breathed. That is how we came to call her Chuckie-Wheezer!

Chuckie-Wheezer is quite the performer, she makes everyone laugh at her antics.  She is even a TV star!  WLFI-TV18 has featured her as their forecaster on Groundhog's day; she has been correct in her predictions in 3 of the last 4 years! Chuckie-Wheezer helps us teach about "humane human-wildlife conflict resolution."

 

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"Little Red" (Red Squirrel) His Story: Little Red is a Red Squirrel (also known as Piney Squirrels), who came in the Fall of 2009 as a single baby.  He helps us show the variety of tree squirrels found in this part of Indiana.  Red squirrels are one of the smallest species of tree squirrels, and prefer pine forests as habitat.  Their diet includes insects, bird eggs, mice and mushrooms (even species that could kill humans!), and they are highly territorial, even chasing off the larger tree squirrels to defend their homes!

"Oscar" (Virginia Opossum)

His Story: Oscar the Virginia Opossum was found in Spring of 2009, inside the pouch of a dead mother.  If you look carefully, you can see that one of his front legs is deformed and he is unable to use that front paw properly.  Because of this, he can not move as fast, or climb as a normal opossum would, and is unreleasable.  He is able to help teach people that it is okay to be different.

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"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.

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"Windstorm" (Raccoon)

Her Story: Windstorm came to us 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 was 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 could help us teach about survival!

 

"Matilta" (Fox Squirrel)

Her Story: Matilta was 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 could not climb well. A squirrel must be able to climb well in order to evade predators in the wild, so she was not releasable. As it turned out, she didn't mind people at all and actually enjoyed being in the limelight during our educational programs.

 

 

"Hickory" (Eastern Gray Squirrel)

His Story: Hickory was a baby in the Fall of 2002. 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.