COVID-19 Update and New Spring Hours
Our doors are open, and we are available to accept orphaned, sick, and injured wild animals. If you bring in an animal, we will be careful to maintain social distance and disinfect thoroughly before and after visits from the general public. Please be aware that the risk for the virus is not from the animals. Travel to the ATW Rehabilitation Center is [...]
“You want me to do what?!” or How it is to be a new Volunteer at All Things Wild
By Allyson Jervey Sometimes it seems like all of the other volunteers at ATW have had many years of experience with either animal rehabilitation, veterinarian care, or human medical care. Not me…. I am completely and totally new to all of it. I began volunteering almost a year ago, and I still feel very much like a novice. I need [...]
Happy Holidays!
Thank you to everyone who participated in our Winter Party for Wildlife at our new wildlife rehabilitation center! We raised over $3,000 in donations, including many of the items on our wishlist. We still have a lot of work ahead of us in order to open the center in March 2019, just in time for [...]
We have a foundation (in more ways than one)
Despite the daily 100-degree temperatures, construction on our new rehabilitation center is progressing. The concrete foundation was poured on August 29 followed by the daunting task of keeping the concrete wet for three days during the hot part of the day so that the concrete would cure properly. The next step will be erecting the metal [...]
An Unwelcome Guest
By Lily Alexander A small condominium complex on the edge of a small town along Lake Travis had unknowingly created an ideal habitat for a skunk mother and her babies. The complex had a lovely open rock wall, which acted partially as a retaining wall and partially as a fence, surrounding the buildings and forming [...]
Smokey
By Karen Orth Almost 2 weeks had passed since the Bastrop fires began. Many people lost their homes and pets. Being a wildlife rehabilitaor, my heart was particularly heavy thinking of the damage done to the area wildlife, especially coupled with the record drought that had already severely impacted the existing population. The fire was mostly [...]
Downspout Dilemma
By Tonie HarrisonIt was late in the evening on a cold and rainy night when I heard a constant knocking sound coming from outside. Going out to the back patio, the sound grew louder as I followed it to the edge where the downspout ties to the house. It was definitely coming from inside the spout, and suddenly I realized [...]
Wild Animals Do Not Make Good Pets
Regardless of the reasons well-meaning people give for keeping a wild animal in captivity, wild animals do NOT make good pets because: It is illegal to keep wildlife without a permit. There is no such thing as a "wildlife pet permit" in Texas. If caught, the animals will be confiscated, sometimes destroyed by officials, and you can be fined. Wild animals have special [...]
Nuisance Animals
We do not believe that any animal is a nuisance; however, having said that, there are ways to get an animal to move on without resorting to drastic measures like trapping and relocating or calling an expensive extermination company. Trapping and relocating an animal is a death sentence. Most animals are territorial, that is, they live [...]
Common Myths About Wild Animals
As rehabilitators, we are constantly confronted with myths that people wrongly believe about wild animals. We hope you will take a minute to read through the following myths and become more educated about wild animals. If you touch a baby animal, the mother will reject it. NO! No mother, wild or human, will reject her baby because [...]
An Update on Our Center
We are pleased to announce that things are starting to come together. Site preparation should begin within the week, weather permitting, followed by foundation framing, plumbing, and the pouring of concrete for the building foundation. Once the concrete foundation is in place, the 2,400 square-foot metal building will be erected. We are currently looking into building insulation [...]