Big Bend Wildlife Sanctuary Inc.

09/05/2026

09/04/2026

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 ❤

08/26/2026

🐾Happy National Dog Day!🐾
While we love our furry companions, we unfortunately see hundreds of wild animals each year that are victims of dog attacks. So far in 2026, over 500 patients have been admitted for this reason, primarily rabbits, opossums, squirrels, and Gopher Tortoises.🐢
To help protect our wildlife from our pets, here are a couple easy steps:
- Keep dogs leashed while walking.🐕 No matter how well behaved your pet may be, it isn't worth the risk of a squirrel or rabbit catching their attention.
- Check your yard before letting dogs out (especially at night).🌙 Doing a fast sweep of your yard could save a wild animal's life, and only takes an extra minute or two.
- Be aware of rabbit nests on your property.🐇 The main victim of dog attacks is rabbits, and this is primarily due to dogs finding and unearthing entire nests of rabbits. Checking for rabbit nests and taking the teps to protect them could save an entire litter of rabbits! To protect a nest, place an overturned wheelbarrow, or overturned laundry basket (with an exit hole cut into the side) over the nest. These allow for the rabbits to come and go, but prevent dogs and other large predators from getting to the nest.

If your pet gets hold of a wild animal, please bring the animal to the nearest licensed wildlife rehabilitator. Even if the animal does not appear to be injured, the germs in our pets' mouths can cause illness, and there could be internal injuries. Thanks for helping us keep wildlife wild and safe from our pets! ❤️‍🩹

08/25/2026

08/25/2026

Talk to only an experienced permitted wildlife rehabilitator for guidance. Too much information that is incorrect or incomplete.

Let's chat about ChatGPT! In the past month, we've been getting more and more calls from people asking for wildlife advice who say, “Oh, but that's not what ChatGPT told me …”

While AI can be a good tool when used correctly, it is not a substitute for advice from trained wildlife professionals. Wildlife rescue and emergency situations are complex, and it can be difficult to distinguish between an animal needing help and one that should be left alone, or how best to help an animal in need. Relying on ChatGPT or other AI tools for answers can often cause more harm than good, as the information it references may be from inaccurate sources and lead to poor decisions.

If you need wildlife help, the best thing you can do is contact our Center or a permitted wildlife rehabilitator near you - that's why we're here! Our team is always happy to help navigate wildlife concerns and ensure injured and orphaned animals get the help they need.

08/24/2026

Those little cone-shaped holes in your lawn aren't damage. That's a skunk pulling out the grubs that were quietly killing your grass from below.

At least half of what she eats is insects — grubs, cutworms, beetles, even mice. The digging isn't vandalism, it's pest control leaving a receipt.

She's tougher than she looks, too. She's one of the few animals that will tear open a yellowjacket nest and eat the larvae, shrugging off stings that would put you in the ER, and she's resistant to snake venom on top of it. The slow, mild-looking waddler is quietly one of the hardest customers in the yard.

And she truly doesn't want to spray you — that musk is a last resort, not a greeting. She'll stamp her front feet, then arch and lift her tail, practically begging you to back off first. Freeze and give her room and she'll almost always stand down.

One honest caution: skunks are a leading rabies carrier, so never approach or handle one, and keep pets vaccinated.