Coulee Region Humane Society Wildlife Rehabilitation

11/25/2025

Thank you to all who helped us get this owl down and in for care.

11/24/2025

Update on yesterday's Goose Island Owl. The owl was found dangling from fishing line upside down in a tree hanging a little over the waters edge. One of our staff and some members of the public helped get this owl out of that situation. First of all, thank you all for staying around and caring to help this owl out.
The owl will be examined by our veterinarian Dr. Johnson. We did not feel any fractures; however I'm sure it is sore from hanging for who knows how long trying to free itself. After examining the feather condition we will decide on a plan. If they will recover on their own over time we will house the owl until then. If she is a candidate for replacing the feathers, we will do that. It is a process called imping. Very fascinating, they will replace feathers either molted from another owl or from a deceased one.
Here are a couple pictures of intake so you can see how damaged the feathers got along with a few cuts on one foot. Please remember that what we leave behind can harm the animals out there. I can only guess this was unintentional, but try to pull this line out of branches if stuck. Had this not been a spot where people walk often, this owl would have not had a chance of survival.

Please keep us in mind for any monetary donations to help for the care of this beautiful owl and many other wild animals in our care. Thank you

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11/23/2025

11/21/2025

Of course a post on skunks during winter:

I don’t have to introduce her to you all. BUT, for those of you who don’t know her. This is Miss Flower. She is one of our educational ambassadors here at the shelter. Flower is an amazing representative for her species.
I bet you are all wondering: What do skunks do during the cold winter months?
Well, here are some facts on that topic.

In summer months, you may know when a striped skunk has been around, due to their famous scent left behind. (but only when threatened) However in winter, these animals make themselves scarce, they typically hunker down to wait out the onslaught of ice, snow, and fridged temps.

The striped skunk spends the fall eating as much as possible so it can stay warm during their mid-winter dormancy. This heavy eating creates thick layers of fat underneath the skin– kind of like a winter jacket. The skunk metabolizes this fat during their dormant times, but at a much slower rate than they do in summer.

Striped skunks rely on different den sites at different times of year, their winter den will usually not be the same place where they raised their young in spring. While capable of digging their own winter burrows, skunks are more inclined to seek out ones that may be abandoned by someone else.

Once the colder temperatures start to set in, a skunk will prepare its den by blocking off the entrance with leaves and grass to keep the cold air out. It isn’t uncommon for striped skunks to den up with each other for extra warmth – these cohabitating skunks have the advantage of group thermoregulation, where they use each other to stay warm. Males sometimes den communally during winter but are not very tolerant of each other during other times of the year.
Winter den season in Wisconsin typically runs from November through March, but it’s not to say that skunks aren’t active during winter. Once settled into its winter home, they become dormant, but they do not enter a full state of hibernation. Instead, skunks enter a state of “torpor” – a sort of deep sleep which they awake from time to time. During torpor, which is influenced mostly by the temperature and food availability, their body temperatures can drop 20 degrees and their metabolism slows. You may see them out during the winter months searching for food.
Now you know. 😊
As you can see, Flower does not need a cold den site. LOL

11/20/2025

Big shout out to my newest top fans! 💎

Marissa Mundinger, Sherry Turner, Kati Theres, Marcena Sandvick, Taia Kasch, Carlton Clark, Ranee Lakey, Valerie Rose, Cindi McMullin

Drop a comment to welcome them to our community,

11/18/2025

Here we have 2 examples of how strange our world can be and how much we do not know yet.

Both of these animals are with us right now. One is Amelia our resident Southern Flying Squirrel and the other is a young female Opossum that came to us as a baby and will be with us all winter.

Did you know that Flying squirrels and Opossums glow bright pink under a UV or Blacklight? The Opossum also has this bright blueish-teal color by the scent glands down the neck.
How cool, but why?

First question is, can they? Answer is, yes. The pink is caused by the opossums’ or squirrels' ability to fluoresce, which is what happens when light is absorbed in one wavelength and emitted in another.

The next question is: What purpose could this fluorescence serve? Humans can't see ultraviolet wavelengths except under special lighting. But other animals can.
One theory suggests the pink is used to confuse predators. Birds of prey hunt flying squirrels, among other mammals like opossums. Perhaps they are mimicking plants and insects who also glow, so as not to be eaten by them?
So, maybe the pink glow helps a flying squirrel or opossum escape from predators. Or maybe it helps them find a mate. Those are just a couple of the possibilities.

Now you know. 😊

11/12/2025

What do Cave Bats do in the Winter months?

Wisconsin is the home to 8 species of bats with the Big Brown Bat being the most common.

Here we have a Big Brown Bat that was discovered on the ground during these past cold days. All he needs is a little warmth and food and he can be on his way back to find his roost.

Let’s learn a little about these amazing little critters.

During winter bats go into a state called torpor. It’s not true hibernation because the warm temperatures can cause them to move around more to find water and readjust themselves, but they can spend weeks or months at a time in an inactive state by slowing down their metabolism to conserve energy. Cave bats roost in large groups in the winter because even though their body temperature drops significantly during torpor, their collective group body heat can help keep them all warm.

Bats look for a roosting place called a hibernaculum. It typically will have a consistent temperature range of between 35- and 40-degrees Fahrenheit. They may roost in caves, hence the name, but these spaces can often be too damp for them. Because buildings often provide consistent temperatures and low humidity, bats may make roosts inside barns, churches, and warehouses. Your home’s living space is probably too warm for bats, but the attic or garage may provide ideal conditions. Big brown bats are more tolerant of cold and dry conditions, so they sometimes don't hibernate until around December and when they do, they're more likely to hibernate in people's homes.
In the past decade, the hundreds of thousands of bats that live in Wisconsin have faced a scary situation: the rise of white-nose syndrome, a fungal disease that has devastating impacts on the bat population globally. Named for the powdery white fungal growth on infected bats' wings and muzzles, it was first found in Wisconsin in 2014 and has had a catastrophic impact on the state's bat population. But the numbers have looked more reassuring in recent years. Bats have been around for more than 50 million years, they’re very adaptable so there is some hope that their ability to adapt will help them with living with white-nose syndrome.
Now you know 😊

11/12/2025

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Marianne Guist, Nicole Osborn-Robaczewski, Megan Ducay, Sonja Salvino

11/07/2025

Opossum Winter Facts:
Let’s learn today about how they manage our long cold winters.

First fact is that they are North America’s only marsupial.
The opossum has wiry hair and naked ears, tail, and feet, which leaves them defenseless against the bitter North American winters. They have the capability to store fat under their skin and in their tail to stay warm.
Because they have a lack of fat insulation, winter can be a difficult time for opossums. The cold can disrupt their sleeping, nesting, and eating habits. For protection they will nest in dry dens that they stuff with leaves and grass to insulate it.
Unlike some animals, opossums do not hibernate in the winter. They still need to leave the warmth and safety of their dens to explore for food. They are solitary animals and prefer to find food and dens on their own.

During the winter, opossums will eat whatever nourishment they can find. They are opportunistic omnivores, meaning their diet consists of insects, small animals, cat or dog food, nuts and berries, roadkill, and anything else they can find in open garbage cans. Known as nature’s cleanup crew.

As opossums wander through these cold snowy nights, they are susceptible to frostbite, but foraging is necessary to survive as they don’t store food in their dens or collect excess fat in their bodies. If food is sparse due to the severity of the winter, opossums will leave their dens during the day in search of food. Because winters can be so harsh on these animals, most don’t live much longer than two years in these cold climates. They are known to live longer in the warmer climates of the southern United States and Central America.

Opossums are naturally nocturnal animals. They wake shortly after the sun sets and stay out looking for food for most of the night. Foraging for food is usually done within a reasonable distance of their den, as opossums will usually return to the same one in the winter. However, they have been known to roam up to two miles from their dens in search of food making the chance of frostbite even more certain.
They are only trying to survive out there, so please leave them be and let them do their own thing and help clean up what is left behind.
This little one will be staying with us all winter as she will be too small to release prior to snow fall and cold temps. Here she is enjoying some enrichment with a ball full of treats. Then Tater enjoying some outside enrichment time with snacks in the container of leaves.
Please consider helping in any way you can. Thank you
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11/04/2025

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Sylvia O'Brien, Megan Ducay, Marianne Guist

10/31/2025

The beautiful Blue Winged Teal was released earlier this week. Getting him out there and ready for migration. Only a short stay with us but still happy we were able to help this one recover.
Here are a few fun facts about this pretty dabbing duck.

Long-distance flyers: They migrate from breeding grounds in Alaska and Canada to their wintering grounds in Mexico and South America, some may spend their winter in the southern U.S.
Blue-winged teals are among the first ducks to migrate south in the fall and the last to return north in the spring.

Dabblers: They are "dabbling" ducks, meaning they feed by dipping their heads into the water from the surface instead of diving. Their diet consists mainly of seeds and roots from aquatic plants, but they also eat invertebrates like insects, crustaceans, and snails.

10/27/2025

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Terry Lichte Molnar, Nicole Osborn-Robaczewski, Megan Ducay, Mary Thompson, Cynthia Sam Licht