Eastern Virginia Wildlife Rescue

21/10/2026

🦝🦉🐿️ WANT TO HELP SAVE WILDLIFE WITHOUT GETTING YOUR HANDS DIRTY? 🦊🦇🦨

❤️ What if we told you that you could help save a wild animal’s life without ever leaving the comfort of your home?

Not everyone has the time, ability, or desire to physically rescue or rehabilitate wildlife, and that’s perfectly okay! There are so many ways to make a difference, and we have a wonderful opportunity for a few compassionate individuals who want to help!

📞 EASTERN VIRGINIA WILDLIFE RESCUE DESPERATELY NEEDS HOTLINE VOLUNTEERS! 📞

Our wildlife hotline is one of the most important parts of our rescue operation, and right now, we are in DIRE need of additional volunteers to help answer calls.

🏡 The best part? You can volunteer right from the comfort of your own home!

Our hotline is currently being handled by a small group of dedicated volunteers. Unfortunately, many of the same people answering these calls are ALSO the ones out physically rescuing animals, transporting wildlife, and even rehabilitating animals in their own homes.

Some of our volunteers are juggling full-time jobs, families, wildlife rehabilitation, and hours of hotline calls every single day.

We simply cannot continue to put so much on the shoulders of so few.

The more hotline volunteers we have, the more we can spread out the responsibility, shorten shifts, prevent volunteer burnout, and allow our rescuers and rehabilitators to focus on the animals already depending on them.

🤔 Now, we know what you’re thinking…

“But I don’t know anything about wildlife!”

WAIT! DON’T RUN OFF JUST YET! 😉😂

You do NOT have to be a wildlife expert to become a hotline volunteer!

❤️ WE WILL TRAIN YOU! ❤️

We’ll help you learn how to handle calls, recognize situations that need immediate attention, provide basic wildlife guidance, and know when to reach out to an experienced rehabilitator.

You would be amazed at how many wildlife emergencies can actually be resolved with a simple phone conversation!

🐾 WHY ARE HOTLINE VOLUNTEERS SO IMPORTANT?

Our hotline volunteers do SO much more than answer a phone!

🦝 They help concerned callers determine whether an animal truly needs rescuing.

🐿️ They educate the public about seemingly “orphaned” babies that may actually have perfectly healthy mothers nearby, preventing unnecessary wildlife kidnappings!

🦊 They provide humane solutions that can prevent wildlife from being unnecessarily trapped, relocated, or euthanized.

🦇 They help people better understand wildlife behavior and learn how to peacefully coexist with our wild neighbors.

❤️ Most importantly, they are often the FIRST VOICE OF COMPASSION someone hears when they find an animal in distress.

📱 INTERESTED IN JOINING OUR HOTLINE TEAM?

Please text 757-434-3439 for more information!

04/10/2026

01/10/2026

🦝❤️ Happy International Raccoon Appreciation Day! ❤️🦝

Today we celebrate raccoons—and other wildlife that are often misunderstood or labeled as “pests” or “nuisances,” despite the important roles they play in our ecosystems.

International Raccoon Appreciation Day is an opportunity to encourage people to better understand these intelligent, adaptable animals, appreciate their place in nature, and learn how we can peacefully coexist with them.

🦝 Did you know raccoons actually help the environment?

🌱 They help spread seeds.
Raccoons eat a variety of fruits, berries and nuts. As they travel, seeds can pass through their digestive systems and be deposited in new locations, helping disperse plants throughout their habitat.

🌎 They help with the soil.
While searching for insects, worms and other food, raccoons dig and disturb the ground. This activity can contribute to soil turnover and decomposition.

🐝 They eat insects and other invertebrates.
Raccoons are opportunistic omnivores and will eat insects and insect larvae, including some wasps and their larvae. They are part of the natural food web and help keep ecosystems balanced.

♻️ They are nature’s cleanup crew.
Raccoons will also consume carrion and other organic material, helping recycle nutrients back into the ecosystem.

Unfortunately, raccoons often get a bad reputation simply because they have learned how to survive alongside humans. When we leave out unsecured trash, pet food or other easy food sources, we unintentionally invite them closer to our homes.

The answer isn’t to hate the raccoon—it’s to remove what is attracting them and give them the opportunity to move along on their own.

Raccoons aren’t pests. They’re wildlife doing what wildlife does—trying to survive in an increasingly human-dominated world. 🦝🌎❤️

So today, give a little appreciation to one of our most recognizable—and most misunderstood—wild neighbors!

19/09/2026

18/09/2026

This is one of the busiest times of the year for wildlife rescues. It’s not unusual for our hotline to receive 70+ calls in a single day.

Rehabbers are overflowing with animals in care while more continue coming in before we can even get others healthy and released. Transporters and rescuers are trying to keep up with dispatches, and some days, it feels almost impossible.

And in the middle of everyone already being stretched incredibly thin, we also have to deal with something that makes an already difficult job even harder: rudeness from callers.

We have callers who are impatient and want help RIGHT NOW.

Callers who don’t want to hear about attempting to reunite a baby with its mother.

Callers who don’t want to make any effort to safely contain an animal, much less consider transporting it to a rehabber.

We hear, “Thanks for nothing” or “Just do your JOB!”

We get yelled at. We get called inappropriate names. We get hung up on.

So here’s something we really need people to understand:

Wildlife rehabbers, Hotline operators, transporters, and rescuers are all UNPAID volunteers. Our days often start before the sun rises and end long after the sun sets. We receive NO government funding and NO paycheck

We try our absolute best to keep up with the overwhelming number of phone calls, texts, emails and Facebook messages coming in. Unfortunately, occasionally something may get overlooked — but it is never intentional.

If you reach out to a rehabber and don’t hear back immediately, please give them a little time. Wait at least 30 minutes and try again.

We are not ignoring you.

When you need a minute of our time, believe me when I say we wish we had a minute of our own.

Please remember that the animal you are concerned about may be incredibly important to you, but it is not the only animal that volunteer is trying to save.

Many rehabbers currently have dozens — sometimes even hundreds — of animals in their care.

When their phone is ringing, they may be receiving another animal, feeding hungry babies, administering medications, cleaning enclosures, assessing a severe injury, attempting to save a critical patient, or even comforting an animal during its final moments.

And wildlife volunteers have personal lives, too.

Most of us have jobs.
We have families and children.
Some are dealing with health issues.
We have homes and responsibilities.
We have good days and bad days.

We are normal people trying to balance normal lives while giving an extraordinary amount of our time to animals that need us.

So when you call a wildlife rescue, please remember there is a human being on the other end of that phone.

A tired human being.
A volunteer.
Someone who is probably doing everything they possibly can.

We understand that finding an injured or orphaned animal can be stressful and emotional. We understand that you want help quickly.

We want to help, too.

But kindness and patience go a long way.

Wildlife rescue volunteers deserve your support, not your criticism.

❤️ Please show kindness to the people who are giving their time, their homes, their sleep, their money and their hearts to help wildlife. 🐿️🦝🦊🦨🦉🐢

17/09/2026

🦝 DOUGHNUTS WITH A PURPOSE! 🦨🍩

TODAY — September 17th — treat yourself while helping wildlife! ❤️🐾

🍩 Stop by Parlor Doughnuts anytime TODAY and enjoy something sweet while supporting Evelyn’s Wildlife Refuge! ❤️🐾

📍 3229 Virginia Beach Blvd., Suite 100
Virginia Beach, VA 23452

🍩 15% OF EVENT SALES WILL BE DONATED TO EVELYN’S WILDLIFE REFUGE!

Every doughnut, coffee, and treat purchased through the fundraiser helps us continue caring for injured and orphaned wildlife in our community. 🦝🐿️🦨🦊

👉 Ordering in the shop?
Show the fundraiser flyer when you place your order.

👉 Can’t make it inside?
Order online for pickup at this location and use code GIVEBACK at checkout.

Grab something delicious for yourself, surprise your coworkers, or bring a box home to the family. 🍩❤️

Delicious doughnuts. Meaningful impact. Wildlife helped.

Please SHARE and help us make today’s fundraiser a success! 🐾❤️