Animal FAQs

Use all necessary safety precautions when approaching an injured animal. You can call Animal Care at the Observation Building at 920-391-3685 for assistance. You may also be able to call your local animal control officer.

Some animals may not need assistance. They may be eating or hunting.

If you have an injured animal in your possession:

• Keep the animal secure in a box or carrier in a warm, dark, safe, place
• Do not feed the animal
• You may give it a small amount of water if necessary
• Keep animal away from other animals, pets, and children
• Bring it to the Observation Building as soon as possible. We are open daily at 8 am

We have many opportunities to visit our animals up close: Critter Counter, programs, events and tours. Please check our calendar for upcoming events. Sorry, you cannot hold any of our animal ambassadors unless you are a trained volunteer or staff member of the Wildlife Sanctuary.

We have many volunteer opportunities in our rehabilitation program (R-PAWS), animal care, and other departments of the Wildlife Sanctuary. Check out the Get Involved area of the website for lots more information. You can sponsor an animal through our Wildlife Champions program. You can also support the animals by gathering items from our Baby Animal Wish List, or our wish list on Amazon, and through our annual animal toy drive.

• Keep the animal secure in a box or carrier in a warm, dark, safe, place
• Try not to disturb the animal
• Do not feed the animal
• You may give it a small amount of water if necessary
• Keep animal away from other animals, pets and children
• Bring it to the Observation Building as soon as possible. We are open daily at 8:00 a.m.
• How to Rescue Infant Birds (PDF)
• How to Rescue Infant Mammals (PDF)

Depending on the type of bird, birds of prey may visualize a cat or small dog to be a rabbit or other prey item. If you are concerned about your cat or dog being harmed, it is best to go in the yard while your dog is outside and keep your cat inside.

Providing a place for shelter and a water source are important to attract wildlife to your backyard habitat. Depending on the species, you may want to provide certain feeders, food sources, and native plants.

Find more information on fishing rules, etiquette and Manger lagoon on our Fishing page.

Baby animals have specific dietary needs and require around-the-clock care. Please contact the Wildlife Sanctuary at (920) 391-3685 if you have an abandoned wild infant animal you have found. It is illegal to possess wildlife without a permit.

You can call Animal Care at the Observation Building at (920) 391-3685.

We keep the diet as close to a natural diet as possible; this includes feeding thawed, dead rats, chicks, and mice. The birds have specific dietary needs we monitor daily.

All of our animals at the Wildlife Sanctuary are injured in some way they cannot be released back into the wild. This includes wing injuries, head injuries, eye injuries, and imprinting. Some animals were brought to WLS and would not be able to be released back into the wild. Some animals are from other rehabilitation facilities.

The Wildlife Sanctuary receives many sick and injured wild animals. Our goal is to nurse them back to health and return them to wild. Sometimes permanently injured animals cannot survive on their own and we provide them a safe home. We can work with the animals living here to learn about their habitats and to help them survive in the wild. The Wildlife Sanctuary has the proper state and federal permits to cage and rehabilitate animals.

Yes, the Observation Building Resch Conservation Wing is closed on Tuesdays 8:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m., and the Woodland Building large mammal exhibits—cougar, bobcat, fox, otter—are closed on Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. for weekly maintenance.