Sponsor An Animal Ambassador

Sponsor an Educational Animal

Sponsor the care of an educational animal for a year. Sponsorship pays for their food, handling, housekeeping, and enclosure maintenance. For sponsorships with Nickerson, Up Up and Garv, you will also get a meet-and-greet at your selected venue with your host animal! Know that your donation changes the life of an animal all year long. (Our animals can have more than one sponsor!)

Meet Our Educational Animals

Welcome our new Animal Ambassador, Terry the Turtle

Terry came to Wild Care in November of 2022. He is a male Eastern Painted Turtle with vibrant coloring. He was surrendered by a family that could no longer care for him. He cannot be released into the wild because he is habituated to people. He is doing very well, and is currently getting used to a new diet of live food and fresh greens. He will become one of our Animal Ambassadors, and part of our education outreach program teaching people about the importance of turtles in our environment, and why they should remain wild.

Would you like to sponsor Terry’s care in 2023?
Annual sponsorship is $200.

Email Stephanie Ellis, Wild Care Executive Director, to learn more about the benefits of sponsorship! [email protected]

Meet GARV the Eastern Box Turtle

GARV (short for “Garvey”) is an Eastern Box Turtle. He is over 20 years old, and is Wild Care’s first Educational Ambassador! GARV was brought to us in the winter of 2015. The turtle had been kept as a pet (illegal in the state of Massachusetts), and was tossed out into the snow while his caretaker was away.

The turtle was brought to Wild Care for care, and was severely malnourished. We began providing necessary medical treatment and proper nutrition.  With our help, the turtle made a swift recovery. Wild Care staff quickly realized that unfortunately, GARV was too tame to be released back into the wild. We applied for a permit from the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, and received acceptance in the Summer of 2016, to keep turtle GARV permanently as our educational Eastern Box Turtle!

GARV has been traveling all over Cape Cod in the past two years – from classrooms, to Wild Care’s various events, to the Blessing of the Animals at Dennis Union Church, etc. He was even featured on public television, courtesy of the Cape Cod Community Media Center. This wonderful turtle has been teaching young and old alike about the natural history and value Eastern Box Turtles bring to Cape Cod, and warming peoples hearts along the way. ♥️

Garv’s care has been generously sponsored by Garvey Communication Associates Inc. since 2017. Thank you John Garvey and your wonderful team for your love of turtles, your kindness and support of Wild Care, and sponsorship of Garv for 2023!

 (Care includes: Food, daily handling and exercise, housekeeping and cleaning, and a bodyguard at events.)

P.O. Box 15294 1500 Main Street, 20th Floor Springfield, MA 01115

Phone: (413) 736-2245 | Fax: (413) 736-2247 www.gcaionline.com

Would you like to sponsor GARV’s care in 2024?
There’s enough love to go around! Annual sponsorship is $750.

Email Stephanie Ellis, Wild Care Executive Director, to learn more about the benefits of sponsorship! [email protected]

 

Meet Nickerson the Eastern Screech Owl

Nickerson was brought to us as an owlet, when her nesting tree was cut down in Nickerson State Park (unbeknownst to the trimmers). The owlets were in bad shape and a reunion with their parents was not possible. Nickerson suffered an eye injury when the tree fell. She and her siblings were rehabilitated at Wild Care. Her siblings were released, but it was quickly determined that Nickerson was blind in one eye and was not fit for release. Being a young bird, Nickerson was a great candidate to become an educational animal, providing us the opportunity to teach the Cape Cod community about the importance of Eastern Screech Owls to our ecosystems, and why tree felling during spring and summer months hurts wildlife. In 2017, Wild Care acquired a federal permit to keep Nickerson as our educational owl ambassador. She’s been out-and-about ever since. Find her at Wild Care events, local events, schools and more. We hope you’ve had a chance to meet this delightfully charming owl. You’ll be seeing more of her this year.

Thank you to Jill MacDonald for her kind and generous sponsorship of Nickerson an Eastern Screech Owl for 2023! Jill is a member of the Nickerson family and Wild Care is very dear to her. We think Jill is very special too!

Would you like to sponsor Nickerson’s care in 2024?
Sponsorship is $1,000.

Email Stephanie Ellis, Wild Care Executive Director, to learn more about the benefits of sponsorship! [email protected]

Meet “Up Up” the Eastern Screech Owl

Up Up came to us on April 29, 2017 as an owlet. He was displaced from his nest when his nesting tree was cut down. He was found on the ground and brought to Wild Care. No other owlets were found. Sadly, he had a wing droop and a fractured wing. A wildlife veterinarian deemed him non-releasable due to the fracture (he is not capable of survival in the wild due to the injury). Being a young owl, we thought he would make a great candidate for an educational animal-teaching people about how they can minimize impacts on wildlife (don’t trim trees until winter), and why owls are an important part of our ecosystem. Up Up is a bundle of beauty, joy and energy. Up Up is truly a great educational ambassador, and we are blessed to have him as part of our team here at Wild Care.

THANK YOU Karen and Arthur Boujoukos for your generous sponsorship of Up Up for 2022!

(Photo top: Julia Cumes. Photo bottom: Ken Johnson)

Would you like to sponsor Up Up’s care in 2024?
Annual sponsorship is $1000.

 

Email Stephanie Ellis, Wild Care Executive Director, to learn more about the benefits of sponsorship! [email protected]

In Loving Memory of  Ilean the Mallard

Ilean is our Foster Mom Duck. She came to us early in 2016, by way of a new volunteer who overheard our staff discussing the need for a foster duck come springtime. Orphaned ducklings need a “real” duck mom to imprint on, and teach them duck behaviors. They also need to maintain a healthy fear of humans. A volunteer had a friend who had raised a domestic Mallard for two years from a tiny duckling. It was a female with a deformed leg who had nesting instincts. A perfect fit for both us and the duck! Her friend agreed, and Ilean has been part of our Wild Care family ever since. (She was named “Ilean” because she leans to one side.) Ilean was raised with chickens, so her “Quack” is more like a “Cluck.” But, she more than earns her keep here by teaching the ducklings how to preen, and letting them snuggle up against her for protection. Having Ilean at Wild Care has been a big help, and we all love her!

Thank you to The Jil Family for sponsoring Ilean’s care in 2023.

It is with great sadness that we share the loss of Ilean our beloved Mallard Duck. Ilean came to us in 2016 with a deformed leg, and could not be released, but she had nesting instincts and became a mother figure to all of our orphaned springtime ducklings. She taught them duck behaviors like preening, and gave them a warm place to snuggle up. Ilean had a unique bond with volunteer Jody Rice-Hines, and enjoyed swim time in the care of Jody, and Kate Martel. Thank you to everyone that sponsored Ilean since she came to us. Ilean was a very special animal, and loved by all of us at Wild Care. We will miss this sweet girl.

 

Meet Mallory the Mallard

In the summer of 2021, we received a group of orphaned Mallard ducklings from the Buttonwood Park Zoo in New Bedford, Massachusetts. All the ducklings were fostered at Wild Care by Ilean, our resident foster Mallard and Educational Ambassador (see above). They were all eventually released, except for one special duckling. Mallory.

Mallory has a spinal deformity which prevents her from being released in the wild. She lives very happily at WIld Care with Ilean. She will live here permanently and play an important role in fostering orphaned ducklings next Spring and Summer. This will also give Ilean a much needed break from mom duties!

Thank you to The Jil Family for sponsoring Mallory’s care in 2023.

Would you like to also sponsor Mallory’s care in 2024? Sponsorship is $200.

Email Stephanie Ellis, Wild Care Executive Director, to learn more about the benefits of sponsorship. [email protected]

 

Printable Brochure Educational Animal Brochure Sponsorship

Online Form for Wild Care Education Presentation