Latest news with #EasternSpottedSkunk
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center rehabilitating bobcat kitten
ROANOKE, Va. (WFXR) — The Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center has received its first bobcat kitten of the year, and just the third in the past three years. It was picked up in Floyd on May 21, after it was discovered near its mother, who had been hit and killed by a car. 'Luckily, he did get away from that incident and he has no major injuries,' said Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center volunteer coordinator Catherine McGrath. 'The vets have looked over him and he's in fantastic health. All he's going to need as we raise him are a couple vaccinations.' The center is working to rehabilitate him and is targeting a spring 2026 release date. 'He's going to be here for a very long time because that's how long it's going to take him to essentially grow up and be large enough to survive while in the wild,' said McGrath. Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center receives first-ever rare Eastern Spotted Skunk He has to be fed a specialized formula every two-to-three hours, and staff have to wear full protective gear when interacting with him because of how susceptible big cats are to COVID-19. Staff members are also working hard to avoid having the animal bond with them, a process they say would complicate things upon its release back into the wild. 'Because the bobcat is going to take about a half a year to ween, that's a lot of interaction with people and not a lot of interaction with another of his own species,' said McGrath. 'So, what we want to do is mitigate him associating us with food and care.' She also said the Center is actively looking for another bobcat kitten in need of rehabilitation so that the two can grow up as a pair. 'You never want to raise any sort of baby alone,' said McGrath. 'You want to raise them in pairs because that reduces the risk of habituation.' The whole rehab process is an expensive one, and the Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center says it is looking for some assistance in the form of donations. 'By the time we're getting him ready for release, he's eating four times more than the average house cat,' said McGrath. 'And when you add that up to a year of that sort of care, that is thousands of dollars of specialized food for him.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Pulaski County hosts go bag and emergency preparedness meeting
PULASKI COUNTY, Va. (WFXR) – The Pulaski County Emergency Management will be hosting a Go Bag and Emergency Preparedness on Thursday. The meeting will be on March 19 at 5 p.m. at the Dublin Library to prepare residents on evacuation preparedness, and you can sign up to receive CodeRed Emergency Alerts. Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center receives first-ever rare Eastern Spotted Skunk Community members will have the opportunity to learn about what is in a go bag and why it is important along with code red alerts for the county and what to do in situations. Those in attendance will get a go bag to prepare for different situations. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
'Hoo' goes there? Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center releasing Eastern Screech Owl
BLACKSBURG, Va. (WFXR) – The Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center will be releasing an Eastern Screech-Owl near Blackdog Salvage on Friday, March 7. The owl will be released at Vic Thomas Park at 6:15 p.m. after four months in the center, and anyone is welcome to attend to watch the owl fly home. The owl came to the Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center on November 12, 2024, after it was found lying face down and stunned on Memorial Bridge. The rescuer tried to help the owl sit up, however, the owl did not fly away. Meet 'Cosmos,' Wildlife Center of Virginia reveals ambassador Opossums new name Based on the center's findings, they concluded the owl was a victim of a very common vehicle strike as they normally hunt near roads and draw their victims near the pavement. The risk of vehicle strikes also increases in the winter months as food is normally scarce and again in late winter and early spring as parent owls go to great lengths to feed their hatchlings. Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center receives first-ever rare Eastern Spotted Skunk What drivers don't realize is that tossing food out while driving increases these changes and can have great consequences. An owl will then scan for prey and swoop down only to be struck by a vehicle. Other raptors are victims of being struck, however, owls seem to be the most affected. It is important to keep roadsides free of waste to reduce the tragedies and give better survival rates to the owl species. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
