Keepin It Wild Wildlife Rescue

01/04/2026

The silver coat appears only when both parents pass on a recessive pigment gene, deepening dark fur and adding silvery-tipped guard hairs.
That’s why red and silver fox kits can be born in the same litter—different colors, same species, same parents. 🦊✨
What looks rare or “special” isn’t a different animal at all, just genetics at work.
Nature loves variety—and foxes wear it beautifully.

01/03/2026

Fox dens are often hidden in plain sight—old burrows reused and expanded, with multiple exits for safety. Deep underground, kits are born blind and helpless, relying on their mother while their senses slowly awaken.
Weeks later, they finally surface. What looks like playful wrestling and chasing is something much more important—practice for survival. Every pounce, tumble, and tug is preparing them for life in the wild. 🦊✨
Small moments above ground shape a lifetime of instincts below the surface.

01/02/2026

Animal tracks in soil, sand, or snow are nature’s fingerprints—quiet stories left behind by wildlife we may never see. Each print reveals clues about who passed through, how they moved, and what they were doing.
How to read a track:
Toes & shape: Count the toes and note the outline.
Claws: Cats usually show four toes and often no claws (retracted), though claws may appear when running or slipping. Dogs also have four toes but typically show claw marks.
Print style: Fox tracks are narrow and diamond-shaped; dogs leave rounder, wider pads.
Gait patterns: Deer and canines often walk diagonally; rabbits and squirrels leave hopping or bounding patterns.
By studying size, shape, and stride, trackers can infer whether an animal was calmly walking, bounding, or hunting.

01/01/2026

Who had elk on their Iowa bingo card? 🦌✔️
An elk was recently spotted near Moville—one of 22 elk reported this year across 30 Iowa counties. Along with elk, Iowa tracks other rare cervids like mule deer and moose to understand how changing landscapes affect where they show up.
Will elk stay? Probably not. While they were once native here, today Iowa lacks the large, continuous habitat needed to support a stable elk population.
📞 See a rare cervid?
If you spot elk, moose, mule deer, sika, fallow deer, or other uncommon deer species, report it to your local DNR wildlife biologist or conservation officer.

12/31/2025

12/30/2025

’Sup. Toad here.
Yeah—the chunky one under your porch.
You left out a shallow water dish. I found it.
I stayed.
Best decision you ever made.
What I handled for you this summer:
✅ Slugs destroying your hostas
✅ Mosquitoes (yes, mid-air tongue strikes)
✅ Beetles, cutworms, Japanese beetles
✅ Ants headed for your kitchen
✅ Earwigs, sowbugs, flies—all the gross stuff
My hunting strategy:
Sit still.
Wait.
TONGUE.
Problem gone.
I do this 100+ times a night. Every night. All summer.
Results:
Neighbor’s hostas (no toad): shredded, sad, slug buffet
Your hostas (me on duty): flawless. Botanical-garden vibes.
Why I stayed:
✅ Shallow water dish (I soak—I don’t swim)
✅ Porch gap left alone (prime daytime condo)
✅ Leaf litter (perfect cover)
✅ No slug bait (poisoned slugs poison me)
I don’t give you warts.
I give you pest control.
— Toad
Chunky Defender of Hostas 🐸
Got a garden toad? That’s not luck—that’s an ally.

12/29/2025

Rabbits do not hibernate.
When winter strips the ground bare, they are exposed to hawks and foxes, with nowhere to hide.
Brush piles and leaf litter become lifesaving shelters—offering both cover from predators and access to food when snow and ice take over.
Leaving wild corners untouched can be the difference between survival… or disappearance.
Sometimes, doing less is the most powerful way to help wildlife.

12/28/2025

Seeing a raccoon out during the day doesn’t mean something is wrong. 🦝
Healthy raccoons can be active in daylight—especially in colder months. In winter, they enter torpor, sleeping more and emerging on warmer days to find food, then spending cold nights tucked into dens with family.
A healthy, alert raccoon seen during the day is extremely unlikely to have rabies.

12/27/2025

Soft-spoken. Steady. Strong.
The Mourning Dove may look delicate, but it’s built to endure—strong wings, devoted partnerships, and a quiet resilience that carries it through every season. Its gentle coo reminds us that calm can be powerful.
A symbol of peace, patience, and quiet strength in our everyday landscapes.

12/26/2025

They don’t hibernate.
They adapt.
By shrinking their range, rotating shelters, and sharing dens, they survive winter nights while quietly keeping ecosystems balanced.
Support them—and pests decline naturally.

12/25/2025

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas 🎄
May your travels be safe, your hearts be full, and your days wrapped in peace and joy.
Blessings to you and yours. 💫