Alpine Wildlife Rehab

24/10/2026

Okay, I HAVE to share this story because I swear, sometimes wildlife rehabilitation feels like living in a Disney movie. 😂

A little while ago, a wonderful woman named Melissa witnessed a bird being chased and attacked by a cat. In a desperate attempt to escape, the poor thing somehow managed to FALL INTO A STORM DRAIN!

Thankfully, Melissa jumped into action, fished this poor little disaster out of the drain, and brought her to me.

She arrived soaking wet, with a swollen eye, a bloody wing, and looking like she’d just survived an epic battle.

I got her settled into one of my hospital cages, started her on fluids and antibiotics, and made sure she had plenty of good food.

She healed up BEAUTIFULLY 💚

But here’s where things get weird…

Today, I noticed a WILD BIRD outside my rehab room that appeared to be actively trying to get IN through the window.

Now, I know how absolutely ridiculous this sounds… but I couldn’t shake the feeling that this bird was here for a reason.

So, I opened my little patient’s cage to let her practice flying around the rehab room, and WHERE does she go?! DIRECTLY TO THE EXACT WINDOW WHERE THE OTHER BIRD HAD BEEN.

…the mystery bird flew away as soon as I entered the room, so I can’t say for certain that they saw each other or even knew each other….BUT 🤷🏻‍♀️

Did this little bird’s friend come looking for her?! Was this an attempted rescue mission?! Have I unknowingly been holding someone’s girlfriend hostage?!

I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS.

Anyway, my little patient is now officially beginning her soft release. (I open a window and allow my rehab birds to leave on their own terms, whenever they’re ready)

*EDIT TO ADD: by the time I finished writing this, she found the opening and happily flew outside 🙌

This is why I love wildlife rehabilitation. Sometimes the most incredible stories come from the tiniest creatures 🐦‍⬛💚

And a HUGE thank you to Melissa for caring enough to save this little life. Without her, none of this would have been possible.

07/10/2026

A fascinating look into how rabbits care for their young! (This is not a wild rabbit- but wild rabbit moms care for their kits similarly) 🐰

29/09/2026

𝑻𝒐 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒍𝒚 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒅𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒇𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒅 𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆….

As a vegan, I am quite often asked by people how I could ever possibly rehabilitate predator wildlife species. This is a difficult question for me and my answer to it is even more difficult for some people to hear.

So let’s dig in.

The intrinsic balance of natural order is one of the most perfectly designed systems on planet earth. The predator/prey relationship involved in natural order, where the survival of one depends on the other demands a deep level of understanding in order to truly love and respect wild animals. Each species is flawlessly wired to play the role they are designed to play in nature.

Nature is immune to ambivalence.
Nature has no psychological conflicts.
Nature knows no cognitive dissonance.
Nature does not tolerate alternatives.

Additionally, our wild predators are what is called obligate carnivores meaning that, unlike human beings, every part of these animals is biologically designed to eat animals. They are able to catch and kill their prey with the weapons that nature gave them (claws and teeth), digest raw flesh, fur, feathers, bones and intestines. They also cannot thrive and/or survive without eating these things because their bodies and digestive systems are simply not compatible with any form of eating.

You see, to have an unshakable understanding of this creates a strong foundation of respect for the natural predator/prey dynamic and widens the scope of insight into the “how” and “why” someone like me, an ethical vegan, is able to involve myself in an area of wildlife rehabilitation that technically involves taking the life of an animal. There will never be a single animal, predator or prey species, that comes into my rescue that will not be set up for anything less than successful survival in the wild. Both my predators and my prey will always be raised to operate in the way nature intended and never will ideology or ego get in the way of that 🤍

28/09/2026

09/09/2026

Please never attempt to rehab wildlife yourself.

This little chipmunk was found 3 days before she came to me.

During those three days, her finder was trying to help her. She was kept safe from predators. She was offered food. Someone cared whether she lived or died.

But unfortunately, some of the things that seem intuitive when we find an orphaned wild animal can actually cause harm.

By the time she reached me, she was emaciated and profoundly dehydrated. She was hypothermic. She had developed aspiration pneumonia. What remained of an injured tail was infected. Her fur was so heavily crusted with dried formula that she could barely move normally.

Her prognosis was very poor. But we tried.
….
I was angry when I first wrote about her. I see a lot of suffering as a wildlife rehabilitator, and seeing an animal in this condition when I knew how different things might have been with earlier intervention hit me particularly hard.

But anger isn’t actually the lesson I want people to take from her story.

The lesson is - please call us first.

You don’t need to know whether a baby is truly orphaned. You don’t need to know what species it is, how old it is, what it eats, or whether it needs medical care. You don’t need to figure any of that out before asking for help.

Wildlife rehabilitation is specialized care, and sometimes the most loving thing you can do for an animal is also the simplest - keep it warm and safe, don’t feed it, and start looking for a licensed rehabilitator.

This finder thought they were helping. And ultimately, they did ask for help. I’m grateful that they did.

I hope this little chipmunk’s story helps the next person make that call sooner. And I’m sure that this finder feels the same way.

Because 3 days can change everything.

06/09/2026

How to temporarily house an injured wild animal, while you find a trained wildlife rehabilitator to help!

We used a cardboard box in this example, but the same idea applies to other containers - just make sure the basics are still covered! Containers need to be secure, with sufficient air flow, and an absorbent cloth on the bottom to provide grip and keep animals dry.

However you contain the animal, make sure you keep them dark, quiet, and warm, away from people and pets. And remember - don't offer food or water unless you get the all clear from a trained wildlife rehabilitator. It's normal to want to offer food and water, that's human compassion! But the wrong food can be deadly, and animals can drown or get wet and hypothermic if water spills. It is much easier for rehabilitators to reverse a calorie deficit or minor dehydration than to correct metabolic issues, gastrointestinal issues, or aspiration pneumonia, which are all potential consequences of offering food and water.

Find a wildlife rehabilitator using IWRC's International Wildlife Rehabilitator directory: https://theiwrc.org/help

Help us spread the word so everyone can learn when and how to intervene if they encounter wildlife in need! A reminder that you can share this post, or you can head over the https://theiwrc.org/resources/shareables/ to download any IWRC infographic to share as you'd like - we just ask that you keep the image as-is, or reach out to us first to collaborate if you want to make any changes (like translation - we're always looking for volunteers to help with translation into new languages!).

BIG thank you to our volunteer, Alesha of Creative Fae Studio who helped us create this graphic ❤

26/08/2026

Relocating wildlife is 1- Illegal in the State of Massachusetts. and 2- Completely ineffective and cruel.

20/08/2026

Important information from Wild Mother Nature Animal Rescue

A baby squirrel is not a learning opportunity.

Yesterday, a post was made by someone who had found a baby squirrel and did not know what to feed it. The comments quickly filled with well-intentioned advice from people who were also inexperienced. So many suggestions for formulas and foods that can seriously injure or kill a fragile baby animal.

We commented directly on the post. We explained that the safest thing for this baby was to remain unfed until it could be placed with someone qualified to care for it. We also privately messaged the finder and offered guidance. They were within 20 minutes of us, and we offered to pick up multiple times.

Our messages were ignored for the entire day, despite this person continuing to interact with other comments on her post.

At that point, we contacted DNR law enforcement because the animal’s life was at risk, and they were ultimately able to obtain the squirrel. But by then, the damage had already been done.

The finder had fed the baby. This squirrel bloated and died.

This is exactly why wildlife rehabilitation is not something you can learn by reading Facebook comments. Baby squirrels have extremely specific nutritional and husbandry requirements. Their digestive systems are incredibly delicate. The wrong formula, concentration, feeding technique, temperature, or volume can cause aspiration, gastrointestinal complications, severe bloat, metabolic problems, and death.

And NO, cow’s milk is not okay. Goat’s milk is not a substitute. Human baby formula is not appropriate. Kitten formula isn’t automatically safe simply because someone on the internet says they used it. Wildlife species are not interchangeable, and neonatal animals are not pets.

The heartbreaking part is that this baby could have survived if it had simply been left alone and transferred to someone qualified. Being willing to help is not the same thing as being qualified to help. ESPECIALLY when the help is throwing itself at you, desperately trying to tell you not to kill this baby.

Please stop giving people confidence to experiment with the lives of wild animals. Stop recommending formulas because “I raised one this way,” or “My aunt had a squirrel for 39 years and fed it goat’s milk.” Stop telling strangers on Facebook what to feed a species you have never properly rehabilitated.

And if a licensed rehabilitator tells you DO NOT FEED IT, listen.

A baby animal being hungry for a few hours while it is safely transported to a qualified rehabilitator is far safer than being given the wrong food and dying from it.

Wildlife rehabilitation requires training, permits, species-specific knowledge, veterinary relationships, appropriate facilities, and the willingness to recognize when you are not the person who should be doing it.

Good intentions do not undo preventable deaths. You are NOT a Disney Princess, so please set your ego aside. If you are passionate about helping these animals, teaching yourself isn’t the way to do it.

14/08/2026

This sweet Mourning Dove was released today!

Poor thing had a bad jaw/face injury and a few other cuts and bruises.

(If you ever find a hurt animal, please contain them and put the container in a warm, dark, quiet place and start calling rehabbers. Never offer food or liquids unless specifically instructed to do so by a rehabber- certain illnesses or injuries are unsafe for the animal to eat or drink and can be deadly!)

Luckily these kind finders did everything perfectly and this guy made a full recovery! Finders also gave me the address where the bird was found- which is important since doves have strong social bonds and should be returned to their flocks whenever possible 💚

Best of luck my friend! Release video in comments 🕊️

13/08/2026

Opossum are NOT like puppies and kittens and cannot be fed from a bottle, syringe, or bowl safely.

Never give food or liquids to wildlife without training. Just keep the baby warm and safe while contacting rehabbers 💚