Circle Star Wildlife Rescue & Rehab

06/07/2026

Q: In the United States, can I move a bird's nest with eggs or baby birds in the nest?

A: There are very few exceptions, so the short answer is NO. The majority of birds & their "live" nests, a nest with eggs or live offspring, are federally protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) of 1918.

This law prohibits individuals from killing, capturing, selling, trading, transporting, or having possession of protected birds, their feathers, the nests, & eggs without a permit or license.

One of the main reasons it is not recommended to move a bird's nest, especially with eggs, is the bird will not search or look for their nest and simply assume the nest and babies are gone. The majority of birds will "fledge" or leave the nest between 10 and 21 days. This really isn't that long.

So, early spring please start being mindful and aware that birds are looking for places to build nests. These nests could be in dryer vents, mailboxes, wreaths, hanging plant baskets, trees, bushes, grills, campers, boats, cars, or patio furniture. Even bicycle helmets & boots.

And one last thing, adult birds will not abandon their offspring because you handled or placed them back in the nest. Many birds simply have a poor sense of smell & cannot detect human scent. (There are some birds who have well developed olfactory systems but even these birds will not abandon offspring handled by humans.)

Https://ahnow.org/blog/2025/05/30/ignorance-can-be-illegal-and-it-can-kill/

06/06/2026

This is a difficult and emotional post to make. I completely understand.

For Fox Sake Wildlife Rescue

If you’ve recently had to make the decision to send a beloved pet to the Rainbow Bridge, wild animals may be the last thing on your mind. But, if you’re not careful, your pet’s death could actually cause even more suffering.

Sometimes, particularly among people who live in apartments and don’t have appropriate places to bury their pets, laying them to rest can be difficult. Fees for cremation can be costly to an owner who may have already put themselves in debt to try to save their pet. And it’s not easy, especially in the city, to find a friend who will allow you to bury a pet on their property.

Even if you have space, digging a sufficiently deep grave for a ninety-pound dog can be impossible for someone trying to use a regular shovel in rocky soil. Faced with what may feel like no other option, some owners simply lay their pet in the forest, or even put the body in a dumpster to go to the landfill.

Unfortunately, euthanized pets’ bodies don’t just go “away.” Our native scavengers— vultures, opossums, raccoons, coyotes, crows, and others— are the undertakers of the wild world and go to work quickly, not knowing that they’re eating flesh poisoned with euthanasia drugs. The scavengers ultimately end up passing away after ingesting these medications (and often leaving orphans behind).

Please be kind to wildlife while facing the loss of your pet. If you can’t afford an additional cremation fee after your pet’s euthanasia, tell your vet that you have no other options. She may be able to work out lower-cost options, though your pet’s ashes would not be returned to you in those situations. Your city’s public health department or animal control may also offer services for disposing of deceased animals at no cost to you.

If none of those options are available to you, don’t be afraid to reach out for help using social media or your local Nextdoor or neighborhood group. There are many animal lovers in the world, some of whom may be strong people with shovels and land to loan, and they may help you give your pet a proper burial deep enough underground to avoid scavengers.

Please don’t allow your loss to also cause losses for wild animals and their families. Always dispose of a euthanized pet’s body responsibly.

06/03/2026

Huge Circle Star Shout-Out to Izabella B. from Newton, IL for getting this poor guy to us for treatment after she found him with a hook stuck in his mouth! He was sedated by the spectacular Dr. Holly at the Flora Veterinary Clinic then the hook gently removed. We will keep him for observation for a while to ensure he is eating well and there are no signs of infection before we release him! Thank you again Izabella, this poor turtle had to have been absolutely miserable!!!!! 🥰🥰🥰🥰

06/01/2026

Garbage like this is EXACTLY why I made my post yesterday! If these "lovely people that seem to know what all I do in a day" want to become a full-time answering service for me more power to them but I don't have the leisure to sit next to my phone to jump when it rings! I work two jobs to keep the rescue financed in addition to taking care of the wildlife. I work with NUMEROUS animal control officers, so I'm calling BS on that comment that I never answer that particular animal control's calls...AND I have a VERY detailed voice message explaining why I can't always answer my phone and ask to be sure to send a text message. I am beyond disgusted with whoever left this...I pray they find help for the squirrel

05/31/2026

Beautifully said my dear.....

Maleena's Wildlife Rescue

There are moments in wildlife rehabilitation that the public never sees. The moments where there is no “right” answer… only the least heartbreaking one.

Every single day, rehabbers are forced to make ethical decisions that weigh heavily on our hearts and minds. Decisions between suffering and peace. Between intervention and nature. Between hope and reality. Decisions that follow us to bed at night and replay in our heads long after everyone else has gone to sleep.

People often see the happy videos- babies playing, releases, etc. But what they don’t see are the tears shed behind closed doors. The guilt. The second guessing. The endless “what ifs.”

Did we do enough? Did we make the right call?Could we have tried something different? Why didn’t we try this..or that? Should we have let go sooner?

And sometimes the stress becomes so intense… so emotionally overwhelming… that you have to quietly step away for a moment. You find yourself sitting alone in a quiet room, in your vehicle, or in some corner of the yard just trying to collect your thoughts and get a grip on your emotions before walking back into the chaos again.

You sit there trying to steady your breathing while your mind races. Trying to hold yourself together while it feels like your world- and theirs- is crashing down around you.

And then you give yourself a pep talk. Because nobody else can do it for you in that moment.

You remind yourself that the animals still need you. That even exhausted, heartbroken, overwhelmed versions of us still matter to them. That we cannot fall apart completely because there are tiny lives depending on us to keep going.

This work constantly asks us to choose between breaking our own hearts or carrying the haunting weight of another outcome. And after enough sleepless nights, enough losses, enough impossible choices… you start to wonder why you keep putting yourself through it.

But then… a baby survives against all odds. An injured animal finally returns to the wild. A scared, suffering animal feels comfort and safety in its final moments instead of fear and pain.

And somehow, despite the heartbreak, we continue.

Not because it’s easy. Not because we are unaffected. But because the animals deserve someone willing to carry the emotional burden for them.

Wildlife rehabilitation is not just feeding babies and posting cute pictures. It is sacrifice, grief, compassion, exhaustion, and moral responsibility wrapped together into one very heavy calling.

So if you know a rehabber… be gentle. Most of us are carrying far more heartbreak than we’ll ever admit.

✨💫✨💫✨

With love & hope for a brighter tomorrow, not only for myself, but for all my fellow rehabbers,

- Sharon

05/31/2026

I want to apologize if you have reached out to us via Circle Star Wildlife Rescue & Rehab messenger and my response has been delayed. My wildlife messenger doesn't alert me if I'm on my personal page messenger, and the sheer volume of calls we're getting this year are causing a lot of messages to get buried. I will see a text much more quickly if you send it to our number on this page!!! Thank you for your understanding, it's our busiest time of year! 😊🐇🐿🦫🐀🦡🐾

05/31/2026

05/30/2026

05/28/2026

Circle Star Wildlife Rescue

05/27/2026

Cage cleaning time is so adorable around here!!! We currently have 52 little opossums in our care in addition to all the other little critters we are caring for! If you've ever considered donating these guys ADORE unsweetened applesauce or we can ALWAYS use anything off our Amazon Wish list!!! 🥰🥰🥰 Enjoy the cuteness!!!!!!!

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2OQCAMDUKWTSG?ref_=wl_share