MARCH 2025

SAVE THE DATE for a very special

Mother's Day Weekend Tea Party

Celebrate moms with Wild Care at a special Mother’s Day Weekend tea party at the Crosby Mansion in Brewster on Saturday, May 10th. Enjoy high tea service featuring tea from Cape & Islands Tea, and delicious jams and honey from Lighthouse Keepers Pantry with vegan finger foods and sweets. Wild Care’s Director Stephanie Ellis will talk about spring wildlife moms and the Chimney Swifts that call the mansion home. Take a tour of this stunning Colonial Revival mansion, wear your best fascinator hat and you could win a meet and greet with our dapper turtle Ambassador, Garv! Photography of this special event by Lydia Leclair.

Seating is limited to 50 guests for a $75 donation each guest.

Tickets will be available on our website through Eventbrite starting April 8th.

EVENT SPONSOR OPPORTUNITIES: We are seeking event sponsors, and a special sponsor to honor Wild Care’s staff of dedicated wildlife moms who care for all our spring babies. For more information about sponsorship, please email Eva.

It's Almost Turtle Time! Help Keep Them Safe

as They Emerge

From Brumation

Box turtles and aquatic turtles on Cape Cod will be emerging from their hibernation state beginning in April. Here are some tips for keeping them safe:

-Never move a turtle to a new location. Some species have small territories and may spend their life trying to navigate back to where they were found. It's detrimental to place a turtle into an inappropriate habitat, and is illegal to relocate ANY wildlife in the state of Massachusetts.

-Several species of turtles in MA are protected under the MA Endangered Species and Natural Heritage Programs. It is critically important that turtles are left where they are found. It is illegal to possess most species found in MA as pets.

-If you find a hatchling turtle this spring, it likely hatched late last summer or early fall and stayed in the nest. Do not move hatchlings to water or a new location. Place them under leaf litter where they are found, and let them navigate on their own. Mom laid her eggs there for a reason!

-If a turtle is crossing the road, move it to the side in which it is crossing

if it is safe for you to do so. Wear gloves and handle turtles with care.

-If you find an injured turtle, contact Wild Care with location:

Helpline 508-240-2255, 365 days/year, daily.



Wild Care had a few turtles spend the winter in our care. It’s almost time for

the Terrapins to venture back out to the wild strong, healthy and ready to go!

Snapping Turtle

This beautiful Common Snapping Turtle suffered trauma after being hit by a car. He has been deemed non-releasable, and we hope to have him here at Wild Care as a permanent resident

MassWildlife:

Guide to Helping MA Turtles

PHOTO Leah Myrbeck

Diamondback Terrapin

Our little Diamondback Terrapins are growing up! They were brought to us after being found in a pool skimmer way to late in the season. Being a threatened species in MA, the state gave us permission to rehabilitate these little cuties, and they have been eating lots of fish, mealworms and turtle pellets and thriving in our care!

PHOTO Chelsea Peck

Jeepers Creepers Did You Hear Those Peepers?

With the recent full moon, warm temps and heavy rain - amphibians are emerging! Please drive safely at night and watch for crossing amphibians - especially on the backroads of the outer Cape.

CHECK YOUR WINDOW WELLS: It's important to check your window wells over the next few weeks to ensure that salamanders are not trapped inside. Plastic window well covers often have a small gap that salamanders can slip through.

IF YOU FIND A SALAMANDER

IN YOUR WINDOW WELL:

With clean hands or nitrile gloves, place the salamanders under moist leaves in your yard. If there is water in your yard, moved them to the water or under leaves at water's edge. Do NOT move salamanders to a new location. When in doubt, call our Helpline for advice: 508-240-2255.

Window wells are a death trap for small animals. Placing a branch or a board into your wells year round will allow animals to climb out. You could save a life.

Learn more about Salamanders in Massachusetts



WILD CARE COMMUNITY TALKS and WILDLIFE TIPS

LISTEN to The NPR show The Point - Co-existing with wildlife

For more helpful tips WATCH

Lower Cape TV's Cape’s Coyotes 101

Wild Care Talk to Give "Coyote Smart" Tips

Join Wild Care for a Free Talk at The Eastham Public Library for “Coyote Smart” Tips for People, Pets and Home. Living on Cape Cod and the surrounding areas, chances are good you’ve seen an Eastern Coyote.

Wild Care’s Executive Director Stephanie Ellis, Eastham Natural Resources and Animal Control Officer / Animal Control Officer Stephanie Sykes, and Eastham Dog Owners Association Board Member Tracey Plantier present this interesting and informative talk - "Coexisting with Coyotes" on Tuesday, April 1st from 6:00 pm til 7:30 pm at the Eastham Public Library.

Wild Care's Director Stephanie Ellis Talks All About Osprey in an Upcoming Talk at the Brewster Ladies' Library

Wild Care’s Executive Director Stephanie Ellis will share the intensive work of wild fostering Osprey chicks. The presentation will include a history of Osprey on Cape Cod, coexisting with Osprey, and all that goes into working with Osprey nests, eggs and chicks. It is a true conservation success story!

Thursday, April 3rd

2:00-3:00 pm

Brewster Ladies’ Library

Presentation in-person and Zoom

REGISTER HERE

Wild Care’s Executive Director Stephanie Ellis shares some good advice in this video created by Lower Cape TV: WATCH HERE

Osprey Arrive on Cape Cod in Spring to Build Their Nests

Cape Cod is a beautiful place to spend Spring and Summer especially if you are an Osprey! Osprey return here right around St. Patrick’s Day every year and start building their nests and readying them for raising chicks. They prefer to make their homes on high platforms and can sometimes choose a place that is less than ideal like a rooftop or chimney. The time to stop them from choosing a nesting spot that is dangerous is BEFORE they invest too much time building. Once a nest is complete and has eggs or chicks it is illegal to remove it without permission from the USDA. Acting early can make a much better outcome for all. If you are a seasonal resident, please check on your home in early spring, and be proactive, you can help these beautiful birds continue to thrive here on the Cape!

Wild Care’s Executive Director Stephanie Ellis shares some good advice in this video created by Lower Cape TV: WATCH HERE

PHOTO Kevin Freil of The Osprey Project

Volunteer Dick Collins Makes Flying Squirrel Release Boxes



Wild Care’s talented and hardworking volunteer Dick Collins did an amazing job making these Southern Flying Squirrel release boxes for us. We think he is terrific!

READ about Wild Care and Harwich Conservation Trust’s Andrea Higgins successful December 2024 efforts to save two flying squirrels that fell from their nest

LEARN about the different types of squirrels found in Massachusetts

10 Smith Lane, Eastham, MA 02642 

Email Us I. WildCareCapeCod.org

When in Doubt Please Call Us

508-240-2255

We Are Here To Help!