Salem Wildlife Rescue

Salem Wildlife Rescue Wildlife rescue in West End, NC accepting injured/orphaned small mammals. Salem Wildlife Rescue is a 501c3 tax deductible nonprofit.

Please CALL the rescue number to listen to the voicemail of current availability before messaging about an animal!! I am located in West End, NC in Moore County. I accept wild rabbits of all ages, squirrels, opossums, and other small mammals. I may be able to provide temporary triage for birds until they can get to a federally licensed rehabilitator. Registered 501c3 nonprofit organization. All do

nations are tax deductible and go towards the costs of caring for the animals in need including medical care, medications, food, shelter, enrichment, and anything else the rescue needs to provide care. We save, protect, and care for orphaned, injured, sick, or otherwise debilitated wildlife in the state of North Carolina and prepare them for release back to the wild, independent of human aid and sustenance. Our charitable goals include rescuing animals in need and providing quality care, raising awareness of environmental issues in our community, providing education in the community about wildlife.

— Jess Reese, NC permitted wildlife rehabilitator

7 baby bunnies went back to freedom this morning! Last week I released 2 more but couldn’t get a picture because they ZO...
05/31/2026

7 baby bunnies went back to freedom this morning!

Last week I released 2 more but couldn’t get a picture because they ZOOMED off!

Run free little buns, have a good life! Another successful group rehabbed and released back to the wild where they belong ❤️

05/21/2026

All in a day’s work! I had seen a post on my county’s FB group that there was an injured baby goose found in the road near a pond and moved into the grass by another passersby, unable to walk. They presumed he was hit by a car. I came out since I wasn’t far and was able to locate the baby!

If you know anything about geese, they are fiercely protective of their babies! Even though this one was barely able to walk, the parents still chased me down and attempted an attack. Canada geese are my favorite bird so I relished every moment of being beaten by the wings 😂😂😂

I brought the baby back to my car to evaluate before driving home. Thankfully this baby wasn’t injured, he just had fishing line tangled tightly around both of his legs and around his little body. It wasn’t tight enough to cut off circulation thankfully, both feet were warm to the touch. I cut off the fishing line and let the baby sit in the carrier for a little while to decompress after the stress and see if there were any deficits. After a few minutes, he stood up completely fine and was running around the carrier. Thankfully he did not need rehab care and was able to be returned back to his family, who were watching me from afar (and honking angrily) the whole time I had their baby cuddled up in my lap in the trunk of my car to remove the line.

Here is the video I was able to get reuniting the baby with his family, and it warms my heart! I wasn’t sure what I would be walking into when it was suspected that the baby was hit by a car, but I am grateful it wasn’t any worse! If you do decide to go fishing, please make sure you clean up your hooks and fishing line before you leave!!!

This baby was very lucky and I’m sure his family is so glad to have him back! ❤️

Over the last couple of days, multiple baby bunnies have arrived! The group pictured was found by a trash company who no...
05/18/2026

Over the last couple of days, multiple baby bunnies have arrived! The group pictured was found by a trash company who noticed these babies in the trash and immediately brought them to an animal shelter who contacted rehabbers for help. Heartbreaking tale, but I’m so grateful for the employees who not only noticed them, but cared enough to get them help. One of them is missing part of his arm, presumably from the whole ordeal, but he is completely unbothered by it and may be able to adapt, but time will tell.

There are also two other bunnies here with various injuries and another group of babies. It’s raining bunnies over here!!

Secondly, all of the Amazon items people so graciously gifted have arrived! Unfortunately they don’t appear to come with notes anymore saying who exactly they came from to be able to personally thank you! But please know I am so grateful, thank you thank you thank you! One of the wooden hideaways is already in use with a group of babies and once my oldest injured bunny recovers a little more and goes into a larger cage, he will be using one of the large hideaways! Thank you all so much for your kindness in thinking of the rescue ❤️

Edit 11:16am- in the hour since I made the post, the bunny passed away 😭 I went in to turn off the nebulizer and get rea...
05/15/2026

Edit 11:16am- in the hour since I made the post, the bunny passed away 😭 I went in to turn off the nebulizer and get ready to start cleaning him again, so in that time the poor little one unfortunately did not make it. I’m heartbroken but I know I at least did everything I could for him

Two days ago, quite the unique case came in. At this time, we are actually unsure (both me and the exotics vet who helped me yesterday) if this is a wild or a domestic baby as there are features of both. At the same time, the facial features are a little distorted at the moment due to the buildup of pus, so once that reduces, hopefully we have a better idea. The fur color looks like that of a cottontail, but the texture is that of a domestic. It is not possible for the species to breed to be some type of hybrid, so it’s a matter of wait and see to see what happens with this little one and how they develop.

Another rehabilitator contacted me on Wednesday as she took in this baby who was found in a dog‘s mouth and transferred the baby to me. She was also very confused as to whether or not this was a wild or a domestic bunny. He was having trouble breathing and his eyes were sealed shut. I have had him on oxygen since arrival, some pain medicine for discomfort, and plenty of fluids. I wasn’t sure the extent of injury for them, let alone if they would survive the first night.

Yesterday after work I brought the baby to the vet. Fortunately there is no fractures or any residual physical trauma from the dog attack. However, this baby is suffering from a very nasty respiratory infection that he has been battling for a very long time. His eyes do open, they are just stuck shut from a ton of pus and have some ulcerations on the cornea from the long-term infection. He was having trouble breathing as the infection leakage is expelled from his nose and drying up, effectively sealing his nasal passages and nostrils. The vet recommended nebulizing saline multiple times a day, an oral antibiotic, an injectable antibiotic, an antibiotic eye ointment, supplemental nutrition, and I am still keeping him on oxygen as he is having trouble breathing when his nose blocks up. Multiple times a day I am soaking a cotton ball to break up the dried gunk blocking his nostrils and trying to clear his nose. Whether or not he survives the ordeal is another story, but I am doing my best to give him a chance to see if he recovers.

And I’m sure you’re wondering, what am I going to do if this is a domestic rabbit and not a wild rabbit that will get released? Well… Should he recover fully and survive, I plan on having him join our little family! I am trying not to get too attached and get my hopes up, as things are very up in the air right now, but I am going to give him the best care possible and hope for the best! He or she is a little fighter for sure. I don’t know how long this baby has been battling this nasty infection, but I hope we caught it in enough time to fully recover!

First of all, thank you all SO MUCH for the outpouring of love and support yesterday 😭❤️ it means the absolute world to ...
05/10/2026

First of all, thank you all SO MUCH for the outpouring of love and support yesterday 😭❤️ it means the absolute world to me. My heart feels so full knowing that people care so much about the work I do!

Second, I wanted to share an adorable photo of one of the seven little guys who came in yesterday! The night before, an extremely caring finder came across an opossum who was deceased along the side of the road. He stopped to check the pouch for babies and sure enough, seven little ones were inside and thankfully alive! In the morning he reached out to me and brought me the babies right away. This group has five girls and two boys and they are so cute that I can’t help but to tear up when I look at them!

This is the time of year where animals are crossing the roads, and they may have babies somewhere. Please be vigilant and careful when driving to avoid accidents! The mother opossum not only lost her life, but these babies lost their mom. We do as best as we can in rehab to prepare them for the wild, but we will never compare to their mothers. A lot of wildlife babies aren’t found or stopped for and don’t even have a second chance and they perish either with the mother or waiting for her when she doesn’t return.

Most of yesterday, they were crying out for her. Today they have started to settle in and hopefully they have a comfortable rest of their stay ❤️

I REALLY NEED YOUR HELP!!As you know me by now after all of these years, asking for things is quite difficult! However, ...
05/08/2026

I REALLY NEED YOUR HELP!!

As you know me by now after all of these years, asking for things is quite difficult! However, I’m left with no choice but to.

Ever since moving, donations have been critically low. As in, the rescue expenses are 5-10x MORE than what comes in every month. Most months I’m lucky to bring in between $100-200 a month at most and before it was much more. I’m having to use my own personal funds to stay afloat (on top of what’s left in the rescue account) and as someone totally on their own without help, it’s becoming difficult. If I had to guess, over 90% of people who’ve brought me animals have not left a donation for their care. It’s of course not required, but appreciated and much needed! I really don’t want the rescue to suffer as donations cover not just food and vet care, but the medicines they need to overcome ailments, enrichment items, new caging, membership dues to the organizations who license us and support our further knowledge, and the many other costs associated.

The food for the 12 opossums in care is about $100 a week right now as they’re so picky and I’m trying to find things they actually will eat! And 7 more babies are coming this morning! I’ve had injured rabbit after injured rabbit who sadly didn’t make it despite the medical care and vet exams.

And there is a good chance I may be moving again, but to the next town over as there is a small house for rent! Still thinking on it as the rent would be a little higher than where I’m at now, but I would be allowed to have some temporary outdoor caging FINALLY and would be able to release my own animals right there in the wooded backyard. Those cages would need to be purchased/built ASAP if I move as we are full swing in the season, so that wouldn’t be able to wait.

So humbly I ask for your help in helping keep the rescue afloat. Closing the rescue would be a last ditch thing and I can’t do that, but at the very least I would have to accept less animals. And to my knowledge, I’m one of the only, if not the only, rehabber in the county who takes rabbits, especially as young as neonates! I have added a button to this post but in the comments below I will add the website where PayPal and Venmo can be found if you prefer that. Sharing this post is also a HUGE help to have it be seen, as FB has been hiding my posts from most people, and posts asking for help get hidden WAY more probably due to certain keywords. It’s hard for nonprofits out here!! Thank you so much in advance, I could not do this without you!! ❤️❤️ Times are hard for everyone so I feel bad asking.

And if you’re in Moore County and know of any businesses who would want to help fundraise or anything along those lines, that would be great too!

Venmo is jessmk3 (it won’t let me create one for the rescue, probably since the phone number is google voice and I’ve been fighting for years to make one to no avail, but all goes to the rescue!)
PayPal is under @ SalemWildlifeRescue or our email! Website is in comments for easy access to PP!

Thank you so much again from the bottom of my heart ❤️

Not wildlife related, but figured those of you who’ve been around for a while would appreciate a little update on the pe...
05/01/2026

Not wildlife related, but figured those of you who’ve been around for a while would appreciate a little update on the pet bunnies. New friends can have an opportunity to be introduced!

This coming September will be THREE YEARS since Benny came to live with me forever, and it’s so crazy to think about! I love rabbits, as you know I specialize in wild cottontails, but I never thought I would be a bunny mom to domestics. One day I received a phone call from the police station where I used to live. They had found a domestic rabbit dumped in a park, eating with the wild rabbits, and they had had him for 24 hours with nothing to give him except water and had called me for some advice. Animal control was not in to assist. Rabbits can’t be going that long without eating, so I said I would take him in for the night since I had just released an adult cottontail the day before and had an open cage, and I would take him to the shelter in the morning. I even called the local shelter and secured placement for him for the following day. Well… I had fallen in love with him and ended up keeping him, and the rest is history. Benny the bunny proceeded to become the unofficial ambassador of the rescue, coming with me to Salem events and school/library/senior center presentations. I couldn’t bring a wild animal, but Benny was the closest thing I had. Not only did he help educate people about rabbits, but he also helped me speak on responsible pet ownership, especially when we would do Easter events and talk about not getting live animals as gifts for children! And to also mention, he was on some stickers for the rescue too!

When he needed an emergency hospital visit days after coming in, you all came together to help and for that I am eternally grateful. He didn’t have health insurance yet, nor was I fully prepared for the unexpected permanent resident! You alleviated a weight off of my shoulders and saved Benny’s life.

This past September, we made the move together to North Carolina. Literally the next day after moving, I adopted baby Ophelia. She was about three and a half months old and so tiny, if you remember! Well… look at her now! I’m pretty sure she actually weighs more than Benny does and is actually slightly bigger than him! There’s a reason I call her Beefy Fifi 🤣🤣❤️ 

The first photo is from February and the second one is from just a few minutes ago! I hope these beautiful bunnies bring a smile to you today! And after all of these years, thank you for your support and love of not just the rescue, but for Benny the bunny who found himself a forever home because of my rescue ❤️

05/01/2026

A little evening opossum ASMR! One of my boys from the older group is LOVING his scrambled egg!

In the background we have a lovely mix of sounds to enjoy including his siblings playing with toys and branches on the lower level of the cage, and the dryer humming from across the hallway with a mountain of wildlife laundry I am tackling at 9pm 😂

All of the babies are growing so big, it’s insane! They’re quite feisty but ADORABLE to watch eat!

Someone was NOT pleased that I came in to clean the cages this morning 😂 Opossums are such characters!
04/26/2026

Someone was NOT pleased that I came in to clean the cages this morning 😂 Opossums are such characters!

Address

Salem, MA
27376

Telephone

+19785942652

Website

https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=3WQ9S667UEYGG, http://salemwildli

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