Archive Patients

On October 22, a well-intentioned private citizen removed a small Musk Turtle hatchling from the wild with the intent of rescuing the young turtle. Though no immediate dangers were present, the rescuer may have thought this small turtle was in need of help. They brought him to the Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center of Roanoke who transferred him to the Wildlife Center of Virginia for proper turtle care. 

On October 29, a private citizen in Crozet, Virginia was mulching their garden when they accidentally hit an Eastern American Toad with a pitchfork. After realizing the toad was injured, they immediately placed it into a container and brought it to the Wildlife Center.

Eastern American Toads are a large species of toad commonly found throughout the eastern  United States.  In October, as the weather gets colder, these toads dig down into the soil to hibernate through winter. This toad was likely hibernating under the mulch in the rescuer's garden.

On the night of May 31, a Black Bear sow was hit and killed by a vehicle in Loudoun County. Virginia Department of Wildlife Resource biologists responded to the scene and found a bear cub that had climbed a nearby tree.  Biologists Jordan and Carl worked well into the night to extract the orphaned cub from a tree; they were finally successful the following morning at 4:00 am! Carl transported the cub to the Wildlife Center just hours later as staff arrived at work.

On Sunday, April 9, a young Black Bear cub was found on the ground and unable to walk in Bedford County, Virginia. Karen Roberts, a local permitted wildlife rehabilitator, responded to the scene and was able to safely contain the cub that same day. After no sow was seen in the area during or after its rescue, the cub was transported to the Wildlife Center of Virginia that same day – just a day after the first cub of 2023 arrived!

On Sunday, May 29, an injured male Black Bear cub was admitted to the Wildlife Center from Nelson County after it has been spotted in the road for two days.  The Center's veterinary team examined the small cub and found that he had a humeral fracture of his right front leg. Blood work revealed that the bear was also slightly anemic, likely due to blood loss due to the traumatic injury. No other injuries were found.

In April 2022, the Wildlife Center began admitting this year's bear cubs from several locations throughout Virginia. The young bears will be cared for by the Wildlife Center until spring 2023, at the time when they would begin naturally dispersing from their mothers. 

On the afternoon of Sunday, May 15, a small Black Bear cub was rescued from a tree in Salem, Virginia. The bear had been seen in the same tree for 36 hours with no sign of a sow. The cub was first taken to the Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center of Roanoke for overnight care, then transported to the Wildlife Center of Virginia the following morning. 

On April 26, property owners in Greene County found a young Black Bear cub in their barn, under a tractor, just hours after a severe storm rolled through central Virginia. There were no signs of the mother bear that evening or the next morning, and after a discussion with the Department of Wildlife Resources, the rescuers brought the cub to the Wildlife Center on April 27. 

On April 11, a private citizen in Augusta County saw a young Black Bear cub in a tree near a residential area. Following a period of observation, no adult bears were seen in the area. The concerned citizen captured the cub on their own, fed the cub an unknown amount of cow’s milk, and began driving with the bear toward the Wildlife Center for assistance. While en route, the rescuer contacted the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources for further guidance.

On February 27, a private citizen observed a Bald Eagle on the ground and unable to fly near the side of a busy road in Chesterfield County. Wildlife Center Front Desk staff coordinated with permitted rehabilitators at Tidewater Wildlife Rescue to locate and rescue the eagle, which was transported to the Center the following morning.