Meet Our Residents
Bob the American Kestrel
BOB came to the Northwoods Wildlife Center in summer of 2016 with a swollen eye and broken wing. Due to the hard work of NWC’s rehabilitation staff, Bob’s wing was able to fully heal, however his swollen eye was quickly determined to be blind, making him non-releasable. Soon after, Bob joined the ranks of NWC’s education staff.
Candy the Corn Snake
CANDY first arrived at the Northwoods Wildlife Center during the summer of 2003. She was found on a plant nursery delivery truck that had traveled north from the southern United States. Since Corn Snakes are not native to Northern Wisconsin, Candy would not be used to our frigid winters so we were unable to release her back into the wild. It was then decided to keep Candy as an education ambassador snake.
Corn snakes are probably named such because of their belly markings – these markings often look very similar to the checkered pattern of maize or Indian Corn.
Gemma the Northern Goshawk
GEMMA was admitted to Northwoods Wildlife Center in September 2015 from Manitowish Waters. She was found blind in one eye and had a broken wing. It was also possible that she had contracted West Nile Virus as some point in the past.
It was soon determined Gemma’s injuries would never heal enough to be returned to the wild. She was put on NWC’s educational tour in the early summer of 2016, and has been doing wonderfully ever since!
Hanna the Bald Eagle
HANNA was transferred to the Northwoods Wildlife Center in winter 2018 from another wildlife rehabilitation facility located in Helena, Montana. After being hit by a train and undergoing a partial wing amputation, Hanna spent many years as an ambassador animal at that facility.
Since her arrival at NWC, Hanna has become a favorite for visitors, being the 1st ambassador along the tour, and hopes to educate many about the amazing world of eagles!
Hook and BB the Painted Turtles
HOOK came in to Northwoods Wildlife Center with a fishing hook in her left eye and was missing her left front foot. Her two handicaps deemed her non-releasable, and it was decided to keep her permanently in July 1999.
BB arrived at Northwoods Wildlife Center during winter 2013 – she was dropped off by the front door in the middle of the night. Since we knew nothing of BB’s history, we were unable to release her back into the wild, and she soon became a permanent education turtle.
Hortense the Turkey Vulture
HORTENSE came to the Northwoods Wildlife Center on October 26, 1988. She came from Milwaukee’s Wildlife Animal Rehabilitation Center, where she was used as an education bird before the center closed. Hortense is a permanent resident because she has an amputated left wing. She flew into the side of a car in Helenville, WI, which caused irreparable damage to the bones of her wing.
Although Turkey Vultures have a hooked beak, they are not birds of prey. They are more closely related to storks!
Hubertus the Florida Soft-shell Turtle
HUBERTUS came to the Northwoods Wildlife Center in 1990 after becoming too large for her owner’s tank. Since then she has grown a little bit more, but now believed to have reached her full size.
Soft-shell turtles their time at the bottom of a lake covered in sand or mud. They remain there so their prey, such as crayfish, small fish, and snails, won’t notice them.
Loki the Great Horned Owl
LOKI was admitted to Northwoods Wildlife Center during the summer of 2018 as a nestling. He had suffered a fracture to the tip of his left wing. Unfortunately, the broken wing was irreparable, so a partial wing amputation was performed to make Loki more comfortable during his life in captivity.
Loki is currently in training to eventually become one of Northwoods Wildlife Center’s outreach ambassador birds of prey, where he will travel the Wisconsin Northwoods with our staff, educating the public on the fascinating world of Great Horned Owls!
Mini and Aqua the Common Snapping Turtles
MINI and AQUA arrived at Northwoods Wildlife Center during the summer of 2013. They, along with over twenty other turtles, were being raised in captivity to one day be eaten! Since this is illegal in Wisconsin, Mini, Aqua, and the rest of the turtles were taken by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and found new homes at education centers throughout the state!
Percy the Eastern Screech-Owl
PERCY was transferred to the Northwoods Wildlife Center from another wildlife rehabilitation center located in Michigan in September 2017. He is blind in his left eye and has some difficulties in flight, which is why he is unable to be released back into the wild. A car collision was likely the cause of his injury.
Percy is one of our trained ambassador birds that attends educational programs off-site! His job is to teach the world about the amazing lives of owls!
Sancho the Gray Rat Snake
SANCHO came to the Northwoods Wildlife Center during the summer of 2014. He had been a pet whose owner no longer had time to care for him. Rat snakes are native to southwestern Wisconsin, however can regularly be found in the pet trade. We agreed to take Sancho in to use for educational programs throughout the Northwoods. Sancho can regularly be seen climbing his vines throughout his enclosure.
Sierra, Race, and Tommi the Red-tailed Hawks
Race
SIERRA was transferred to the Northwoods Wildlife Center on April 9, 2004 from Tennessee. She had been found with a gunshot wound to one wing, leading to an improperly healed fracture.
RACE was transferred to Northwoods Wildlife Center on May 6, 2012 from another rehabilitation center in Illinois. He has a dislocation of the left elbow, however the original cause of his injury is unknown.
TOMMI was admitted to Northwoods Wildlife Center in August 2016 after being hit by a car. The severity of her wing injury led to a partial wing amputation, leaving Tommi non-flighted. She now attends educational programs throughout the Northwoods, educating the public on the world of Red-tailed Hawks!
Speedy, Pandora, and Bull the Three-toed Box Turtles
Our box turtles are all former pets that were donated to be used in our education programs. Bull is also our local star as he has been used in Foster & Smith catalogs.
A main source of protection for box turtles comes from a band of skin going across the first ¼ of their bottom shell. This band of skin acts like a hinge, which allows them to close up in their shells completely.
Woody the Wood Turtle
WOODY the Wood Turtle was given to the Center in 1990 by his former owner. Since then, Woody has become one of NWC’s most well-known residents. He can often be found crawling on the floor of the NWC lobby, engaged in his favorite pastime – sneaking up on staff members in order to bite their shoes!
Woody is also a popular visitor at area schools. His likable (and feisty) personality helps to teach children about Wood Turtles, a threatened species in Wisconsin.
