Bunny Whisperer Volunteer Kristine Beebe has been rehabilitating rabbits for over 30 years. | Volunteer Mr. Fix-It Dick Collins | |
Squirrel Squad Volunteer - Roz Goldstein
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Wild Care Volunteers Gave over 5,520 Hours in 2025!
Wild Care volunteers are the best around, and always willing to step up for all of the many needs we have throughout the year! And there is always a need, in fact in 2025 our volunteers put in an amazing 5,520 hours! We could not do what we do without them. They help with animal care, clean-up, enrichment, events, maintenance, computer work, animal transport, and so much more.
We would like to recognize five of our incredible volunteers that each gave more than 200 hours of their time in 2025 to go above and beyond for Wild Care.
Kristine Beebe is our bunny whisperer, specializing in orphaned Eastern Cottontails. Dick Collins is an all-around amazing Mr. Fix-It at Wild Care, Elena Calabrese is a go-to rescue and transport volunteer, Roz Goldstein is a hard-working clinic volunteer who also works events, feeds baby squirrels and birds, and Doreen Ronan is a dedicated clinic volunteer that helps feed our many baby birds.
We are so incredibly grateful for ALL of our volunteers, and everything they do!
Stephanie Ellis,
Executive Director
| | CAN YOU HELP? Wild Care Volunteers Needed | | | | |
Volunteers are so important to everything we do to help wildlife. It gets busy here, and we couldn’t do it all without our volunteers! In the Summer months we can have up to 200 patients being cared for in our clinic at once, and as you can imagine its a huge need to keep things clean and running smoothly. A clean place for animals to recover is an important part of helping them return to wild. If you are interested in volunteering in our clinic we’d love to hear from you!
VOLUNTEER details and application
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Razorbill From Nantucket Recovers
and is Released
This beautiful Razorbill was brought to us after it was found beached on Nantucket. It was transported by Nantucket Animal Rescue on the Hy-Line and picked up by our staff in Hyannis. The feisty bird had a good appetite, and spent time getting waterproof in our seabird therapy pools. The specialized seabird pools at Wild Care can have a variable current flowing through them that birds swim against to exercise and build strength. There are also resting platforms in the pool for when they get tired. This dapper bird was released by wildlife rehabber Leah Myrbeck close to where other razorbills had recently been seen.
Razorbills are diving seabirds that are frequently seen on Cape Cod in winter especially after strong northeasterly winds bring them closer to land. They are awkward on land, but incredible divers that can go to depths of up to 330 feet. Although they resemble penguins with their black and white coloring, they are strong flyers.
MORE about Razorbills
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These birds are built
for diving!
We currently have two adult Horned Grebes in non-breeding plumage in our care. These small diving birds are winter visitors along the coast of Cape Cod. They were both found in different towns. One on the edge of a pond and one in a yard. Both of these birds were skinny, weak and dehydrated. Because of the ice and snow covering the waterways for such a long period of time this winter waterfowl are desperately seeking food. After testing negative for bird flu they were placed together. Both are eating on their own now and getting daily swim time in our therapy pools.
These tiny divers can possibly swim down to depths up to 20 feet (though most sources seem to indicate that it is difficult to know since they are only observed diving from above). Their bodies are built for swimming, and because their legs are positioned very far back on their bodies, cannot get around well on land. Unlike ducks that have webbed feet, they have lobed toes which help propel them underwater.
MORE about Horned Grebes
| | | THANK YOU TO OUR COMMUNITY | | |
Local Landscape Company Clears the Snow for Wild Care
A big thank you goes out to GreenLight Landscaping of West Yarmouth for clearing the snow from our driveway and parking area after a heavy snowstorm dropped more than a foot of snow in Eastham. They really saved the day, and made it safe for people to bring wildlife in for care and accessible for Wild Care's staff and volunteers. They donated their time and services and did a fabulous job.
| Thank you to everyone that donated to our Giving Tuesday Campaign! Donations helped us purchase many much needed items including these heated outdoor mats that help us keep the walkway to our clinic ice free! | | | We are so thankful for all of the love from our community during the 2025 holiday season. Your generosity warms our hearts! There really is no way we could do what we do without all of your support. Some of you may have donated to our Giving Tuesday Campaign, Year End Appeal, or Bonus Bucket Bag Campaign. Some purchased tickets for our holiday drawing, bought some chocolate or jewelry, attended our Gingerbread House Making Party, or answered one of our many calls for walnuts and other supplies. We are also incredibly grateful for all the local businesses, volunteers, and individuals that help make these things possible. It all adds up, and makes a huge difference for wildlife! We are here for them because of you. |
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And the Winner of the Boating and Birding Drawing is ...
Wild Care's Boating and Birding Drawing raised donations totaling $3,000 to help us prepare for the upcoming busy "Baby Season". Congratulations to our winner Jamie Demas of Orleans! Thank you to everyone who donated!
Special thanks to the following local businesses for the generous donations: Nauset Marine, The Whalewalk Inn, The Barley Neck, Town Cove Tap House, and The Rail.
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Baby's are coming! Help Reduce the Number of Orphaned Squirrels this Season
Even though it's cold outside, squirrels are breeding, and some squirrels are pregnant. (Yes, you have read this correctly.) We have received neonatal Eastern Gray Squirrels at Wild Care as early as February 10th one year, though most of our squirrel babies arrive in March. Please help us reduce the number of orphaned squirrels this season by following these simple steps, and call us for advice: 508-240-2255.
If you have a car or a piece of machinery that has not been moved for a while - open the hood, or move the vehicle frequently, to discourage squirrels and other rodents from nesting. Rodents do not want to move into a home that is unpredictable and "unsafe". (This goes for lawnmowers and grills too!) If there is already a nest under the hood, call us for tips to encourage momma squirrel to move her young.
Dead trees and snags. Eastern Gray Squirrels will nest in tree cavities, but also build large round nests of dead leaves. If you must trim or remove trees this winter, please check carefully to ensure that they are not inhabited by squirrels, owls, or other roosting birds. No dead tree is ever really dead. Save a tree, save a life!
If you find a squirrel nest on the ground with babies in it, place them into a shoebox with gloved hands, and provide a heating aid. Do not give them food or water. Note where the nest fell, and watch for activity from momma squirrel. Please call us. Eastern Gray Squirrels build SEVERAL nests, and we can often reunite them with their young. Squirrels are very attentive mothers.
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Why Wildlife Matters: The Spotted Salamander
Find out all the interesting facts about Spotted Salamanders in the Wildlife Rehabilitators’ Association of Massachusetts - WRAM e-newsletter. Wild Care Executive Director Stephanie Ellis is a WRAM Board Member and writes a quarterly column focusing on “Why Wildlife Matters.” In this newsletter, Stephanie writes about the world of this beautiful and familiar New England woodland species.
READ the article here
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Are you a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, or want to learn more about the work that we do, or just love wildlife? This conference is for you! Registration is now open for the Wildlife Rehabilitators' Association of Massachusetts - WRAM virtual 2-day conference to be held on March 14 and 15th. Be part of a weekend full of educational lectures, social opportunities, interesting round table discussions, workshops, live Q&A's, and other fun, networking events. You do not need to be a WRAM member to attend.
Wild Care’s Executive Director Stephanie Ellis will speak about rodenticide poisoning and humane alternatives for rodent control.
Event Details & Tickets
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Thank You Wild Care's 2026 Animal Ambassador Sponsors
Wild Care's Educational Ambassadors play an important role in educational outreach in our community. They are all non-releasable animals that live year-round with us at the Wild Care clinic. Sponsors provide for the care, food, habitat, and enrichment of their sponsored animal. We are incredibly thankful for the following 2026 sponsors:
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GARV
an Eastern Box Turtle
Sponsored by
Garvey Communication Associates Inc.
The Garvey family is very near and dear to our hearts here at Wild Care for their ongoing love and support of our work. Our beloved Educational Eastern Box Turtle "Garv" was named after John Garvey who has sponsored his annual care since 2017.
Garv is over 25 years old, and is Wild Care’s first Educational Ambassador! He was brought to us in the winter of 2015. Garv had been kept as a pet (illegal in the state of Massachusetts), and was tossed out into the snow while his caretaker was away.
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NICKERSON
an Eastern Screech Owl
Sponsored by
Jill & Alan Macdonald
Thank you to Jill and Alan MacDonald for their kind and generous sponsorship of Nickerson an Eastern Screech Owl for 2026! Jill is a member of the Nickerson family and Wild Care is very dear to her.
Nickerson was brought to Wild Care as an owlet in 2017 after the nesting tree she and her siblings were in was cut down. Her siblings were rehabilitated and released, but she suffered an eye injury when the tree fell causing blindness in one eye. Nickerson has been a charming Animal Ambassador teaching young and old about the importance of owls in our environment.
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MALLORY
a Mallard Duck
Sponsored by
Jody Rice-Hines
We would like to thank our wonderful Board Member and long-time Clinic Volunteer, Jody Rice-Hines for generously sponsoring the care of Mallory in 2026! She and Mallory have a very special bond. Jody feels that Mallory is a special little duck who knows her name, enjoys watermelon and meal worms. Mallory has a few favorite people in her life of which Jody is one of them!
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TERRY
an Eastern Painted Turtle
Sponsored by
Monica Smith
Thank you to Monica Smith for sponsoring Terry, an Eastern Painted Turtle in 2026! Terry is a beautiful turtle with the cutest face, and we are so fortunate to have him as an educational ambassador at Wild Care. Terry came to us in 2022, and could not be released into the wild because he had become habituated to people. He loves to swim, and can often be found perching on-top of his favorite rock or with his turtle friend Gerry..
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UP UP
an Eastern Screech Owl
Sponsored by
Jennifer Budryk
Thank you to Beach Road Muscular Therapy for the generous 2026 sponsorship of Up Up! Nationally certified and licensed massage therapist Jennifer Budryk has been mountain biking in Nickerson State Park for 40 years, and hopes to bring awareness of the importance of having tree work done before nesting and baby season.
Up Up came to us in 2017 as an owlet. He was displaced from his nest when his nesting tree was cut down. Sadly, he was deemed unreleaseable due to his wing injuries. He is a wonderful educational animal, helping us teach people about how they can minimize impacts on wildlife, and why owls are an important part of our ecosystem.
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TORTILLA
an Eastern Musk Turtle
Sponsored in Memory of
Elsie-Mary Hopkins Barnett
Thank you to Gayle Rosenfeld and Steve Piraino for their sponsorship of Tortilla, our resident Musk Turtle Ambassador, in memory of
Elsie-Mary Hopkins Barnett.
Elsie grew up in a Cape cottage before moving to the Boston area with her mother at the age of 6 years old. As a young adult, she returned to Orleans during the summer months and then eventually retired to her Cape home full-time. She lived near a wooded conservation area and enjoyed watching the many species of wildlife that called the area home, too. She had a great appreciation for Wild Care’s work assisting all animals, and frequently contributed to help raise funds.
Elsie lived a full life. We are grateful for her love and support of wildlife and of Cape Cod’s natural spaces.
LEARN MORE about Musk Turtles
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GERRY
an Eastern Painted Turtle
Sponsored by
Chris McLaughlin
Thank you to Chris McLaughlin of Orleans for her sponsorship of Gerry. “When we leave this earth what will we leave behind? If one person can save one soul, no matter how small, that is the answer. The gift. The blessing.”, said Chris. We couldn’t agree more.
Gerry was brought to us last year after being found left behind when her owner moved. She is habituated to people and therefore non-releasable. She is a wonderful and interesting turtle and has found her forever home at Wild Care with her new Painted Turtle friend Terry.
PHOTO - Jay Pulli
LEARN MORE about Wild Care's Animal Ambassadors
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Check out our Amazon and Chewy WISH LISTS and donate much
needed supplies to help the animals being cared for at Wild Care.
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