Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary Inc

WILDLIFE REHABILITATION AND EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES TO INFORM THE PUBLIC ABOUT THE NEED FOR PROTECTION OF WILDLIFE

THE ROCKFISH WILDLIFE SANCTUARY HAS HAD ANOTHER VERY BUSY YEAR, CONTINUING TO PROVIDE CARE FOR ORPHANED AND INJURED NATIVE VIRGINIAN WILDLIFE UNTIL THEY CAN BE RELEASED BACK INTO THEIR NATURAL HABITAT. THIS YEAR, RWS WAS PRIVILEGED TO PROVIDE CARE FOR OVER 940 ANIMALS, A RECORD NUMBER OF PATIENTS. WE ARE CONTINUING TO CARE FOR 9 NON-RELEASABLE EDUCATION AMBASSADOR ANIMALS. IN 2023, RWS WAS STAFFED BY 1 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, 4 WILDLIFE REHABILITATORS, 3 INTERNS, AND 11 VOLUNTEERS DURING THE BUSY SEASON OF APRIL THROUGH SEPTEMBER. ALL ARE PERMITTED AT THE STATE AND FEDERALLY LEVELS. DURING THE BUSY SEASON, RWS IS STAFFED FROM 7 A.M. TO 7 P.M., SEVEN DAYS A WEEK, AND VOLUNTEERS PUT IN MORE THAN 4,000 HOURS OF TIME. THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, WE RECEIVE OVER 1,500 WILDLIFE HOTLINE CALLS FOR INFORMATION AND GUIDANCE ABOUT WILDLIFE. PEOPLE CALL WITH QUESTIONS ABOUT ANIMALS THEY HAVE FOUND AND RWS STAFF PROVIDES INFORMATION, GUIDANCE, AND IF NECESSARY, ARRANGES FOR TRANSPORTATION OF THE ANIMAL TO RWS. RWS STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS DROVE MORE THAN 5,500 MILES TO PICK UP INJURED/ORPHANED WILDLIFE, TO GET THEM TO RWS OR VETERINARY SERVICES AS NEEDED, AND TO RELEASE THEM BACK INTO THE WILD WHEN READY. WHENEVER SAFE AND POSSIBLE, ANIMALS ARE RELEASED BACK INTO THE AREA WHERE THEY WERE FOUND. FOR ANIMALS NEEDING ADDITIONAL SUPPORT, WE DO A SOFT RELEASE, PROVIDING ADDITIONAL FOOD AND MONITORING UNTIL WE ARE CONFIDENT OF THEIR ABILITY TO CARE FOR THEMSELVES IN THE WILD.EDUCATING THE CITIZENS OF CENTRAL VIRGINIA ABOUT THE NEEDS OF NATIVE WILDLIFE CONTINUES TO BE A MAJOR PART OF OUR MISSION. OUR WEBSITE,WWW.ROCKFISHWILDLIFESANCTUARY.ORG, PROVIDES INFORMATION ABOUT THE ACTIVITIES OF RWS AND ABOUT HOW TO GET INVOLVED AS A VOLUNTEER, AS WELL AS TIPS ON WHAT TO DO IF YOU FIND AN ORPHANED OR INJURED WILD ANIMAL. RWS STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS ALSO PRESENTED 52 PROGRAMS ACROSS THE STATE IN 2023, FEATURING EDUCATION AMBASSADOR ANIMALS AND HELPING DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES GAIN MORE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT AND APPRECIATION FOR WILDLIFE. WE CONTINUED THE PUBLICATION OF OUR SPRING AND FALL NEWSLETTERS AND ADDED ADDITIONAL BI-MONTHLY EDUCATIONAL EMAILS ABOUT CURRENT PATIENTS AND SPECIES IN CARE.