The Gail E. Abrams Wildlife Ambassador Fund

It's hard to believe that the summer is coming to an end! Our raptors are having plenty of fun in the sun in their outdoor enclosures this summer, despite it being a much calmer season than usual. Thankfully, the birds are still getting plenty of interaction: Apollo the Barred Owl and Jackson the Mississippi Kite have been "frequent flyers" in our Virtual Animal Encounters, and all of the birds had a blast at our Fly Thru in June (a drive-thru style animal program!). 

Our Conservation team has been hard at work making improvements on enclosures this summer: installing new tables and perches, sprucing up interiors, fixing doors, and more. It takes a good deal of time and materials to keep these enclosures in tip-top shape, and it's all thanks to your support!

With a slower summer season, we'e also had a chance to do some sprucing up outside of the enclosures as well. A talented artist and Biology teacher in the community has begun a fantastic mural on Bella the Great Horned Owl's enlclosure. Take a look! How many of the birds do you recognize?

While we have thankfully been able to run summer camps at a reduced capacity with safety protocols in place, animal care--including food, medications/supplements, and enclosure maintenance--must carry on as usual, and the costs are the same to us. We are committed to providing the highest quality care possible to our 24 Ambassador Animals, and we can't do it without you! Your contribution today enables us to be here for you tomorrow. 

Thank you so much for your support--stay healthy and safe!

Hello to all of our fantastic supporters!

As you can likely imagine, Piedmont Wildlife Center has been greatly affected by COVID-19.  We have had to cancel all of our programming for the near future, including many at-school visits, field trips, and more with our Wildlife Ambassadors. In fact, April was slated to be our busiest month of the year for our animal programs. 

If you happened to receive our organization's newsletters in October and November in 2019, you are aware that our organization had to dig ourselves out from a financial hole; we did a great job fundraising during that time, but are still feeling the effects of the situation today. Because we have now lost our spring revenue, and registrations for future programming are on hold until this pandemic ends, our organization is in a tight spot. We have had to make a very difficult decision; to prevent further financial strain to PWC, the majority of our staff will be placed on furlough, starting on April 13th. We are striving to have all of our staff back to working full-time as soon as possible. 

Because many things have been turned upside down and there is a lot that remains to be done, these things are taking a long time to address. Like many people (likely yourself included), we have been experiencing grief and are trying to adjust to these changes. Some days we are optimistic, and some days we are pessimistic; regardless, we still have each other.

We were able to have several animal programs for schools and organizations at the beginning of March (before COVID-19 escalated), and we can safely say that there are many kids who miss these programs dearly.

Thank you for your love and support, if you are able to donate any amount to us, we would be extremely grateful. Every dollar counts, and we are here because of community support.

Thank you,

PWC Conservation Team

It’s a new year, and a new decade. Our Animal Ambassadors may not know it, but we have big goals for the coming year at Piedmont Wildlife Center—and, thanks to your contributions, we are being set up for success!

In 2019, our Conservation team brought our incredible array of raptors, reptiles and mammals to more than 170 schools and organizations throughout the Triangle—over a 40% increase from 2018. Inspiring and motivating people to advocate for wildlife conservation is what our ambassador animals do best, and our team of staff and volunteers is dedicated to providing the highest quality of care to each and every animal that children are able to meet up-close and personally. With your support, we aim to reach even more individuals throughout the Triangle this year.

Using contributions from this project in 2019 we were also able to build and raise a new enclosure for our Barred owls, Apollo and Athena, this past fall. We could not have done it without our donors like you!

We consider it an enormous privilege to share the stories of our ambassadors with our neighboring schools and organizations. While the costs of veterinary care, feeding, and enclosure building for our ambassadors are high, the impact that our animal programs have on all who attend is priceless. We appreciate all of the individuals and groups that recognize this and continue to sustain our work.

Our world is changing, and the message that our ambassadors carry is a crucial one for the next generation to hear and embody. Our resolution for the new year is to instill our message of conservation in as many individuals as possible. What will your resolution be?

Links:

• View our conservation education programs

Did you know that it costs approximately ten thousand dollars per year to feed our raptor ambassadors?

At Piedmont Wildlife Center, we care for a variety of raptors, including owls, hawks, a kite, and a raven. In the wild, nearly all of these birds would be active hunters. They would seek out and eat mice, rats, insects, and smaller birds. Our great horned owl’s wild relatives have even been known to hunt rabbits, cats, and other mammals of a similar size! We try to mimic the diets of our ambassadors the best we can, so we feed them mice, rats, and chicks. With each meal, we also provide a raptor supplement, which is like a multivitamin for our ambassadors, to keep our feathered friends healthy and strong.

Preparing these specialized meals, cleaning enclosures, and providing regular beak, feather, and talon care is a labor-intensive job. Our ambassadors are important to us, and with the help of our staff and volunteers we can provide the best care possible. But we are now faced with a dilemma.  

In the past, Piedmont Wildlife Center was fortunate enough to have a supplier of free raptor food. Recently, we lost that supplier. That loss has caused a serious financial strain. As we seek options for the future to ensure that our raptors are fed and well cared for, we ask all of you that support Piedmont Wildlife Center to donate toward caring for our ambassadors and to share this need with your friends and family.

Our ambassadors have been and continue to be an integral part of our outreach programs. When children see an owl emerge from their travel crate, they exclaim “WOAH! Look at those eyes!” or “I had no idea we had owls that small in NC!” They are our best tool for teaching children and adults alike about local wildlife and its importance, as well as the steps they can take to help preserve our natural world for generations to come.

Can you help us today by donating to our ambassador fund?

Links:

• Meet our Wildlife Ambassadors

Do you have pets? If so, you know how quickly vet bills can add up! With over 20 wildlife ambassadors, we visit our local exotic veterinarians on a regular basis. Fortunately, we live in an area with a great vet school (shout out to the North Carolina State University Wolfpack!) and not one, but a few exotic vets.

Most recently, Miracle, the beloved silky ringneck dove, was acting odd. With birds and reptiles, they don’t show many symptoms so it’s important to pay attention to the subtle ones. Miracle’s main symptom was that he was more quiet than normal. If you know Miracle, you know he loves to say hello to everyone (see attached video).  

After continuing to be quiet for a couple weeks and occasionally fluffing up (his only other symptom), we decided it was time for a vet visit. The vet performed an exam, fecal checks, and ran bloodwork. It was determined he had some type of infection (not sure what, but his white blood cell count was elevated), and was given medications. For this one vet visit alone, it cost over $400.   

Earlier this year, the domestic rabbit, Parsley urinated outside her litter box for the first time in 6 years. We knew something was up. Rabbits, although they are mammals, are also very good at hiding illness! Thankfully our awesome animal care volunteers and educators pay close attention to our ambassadors and let us know anytime something is awry. After multiple vet visits, urinalyses, radiographs, and bloodwork we couldn’t find anything wrong with Parsley. We’re grateful that she seems to be doing well, despite her new behavior, but it also came with a large vet bill of over $1,000 for 3 different vet visits.

We take pride in the fact that our ambassadors receive great care throughout their time with us, but we couldn’t do it without your support! Can you donate today to help keep our wildlife ambassadors healthy so they can continue teaching all about how to conserve our native wildlife? Every dollar counts!

Links:

• Miracle saying "hello"
• Meet our Wildlife Ambassadors