Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Minnesota
Meet Our Patients
Click on the images above to view some of our patient highlights. For the most up-to-date patient news, subscribe to our emails and subscribe to our blog, The Pulse.
Our patients change on a regular basis and are somewhat predictable: in the fall and spring we have migrants that are passing through. From mid-April to early August, we're busy caring for orphaned and sick infants and juveniles. During the winter we're bound to have bats and turtles, but we'll also usually have an assortment of waterfowl such as swans, pelicans and geese.
For a more in-depth look at some of our patients' cases, visit our Case Studies.
Why don't we name our patients?
Many times an animal is named by the people who have rescued it. We've had our fair share of "Chirpy," "Chippy," "Nuts" (most often squirrels) and even "Fred" over the years.
We understand that people grow attached to animals in their possession quickly and naming the animal is often a suggestion by the children who found the animal.
Here at the Center, we treat every wild animal as a wild animal with the goal of releasing it back to its wild home. By naming an animal, you create ownership of it and we feel it's not appropriate for our patients to be named. We're here to provide medical and rehabilitative care and then release the animal; not to bond with it or become even further attached to it.
We'll be honest: volunteers who work daily with a swan who is with us for 6 months while battling lead poisoning quickly become attached to it. Whether the swan lives or dies is an emotional experience for our volunteers. The animals in our care receive loving attention from our staff and volunteers even without being given a name.
