Dane County Humane Society’s (DCHS) Wildlife Center reached patient admission number 3,149 by October 15^th, 2024. Believe it or not, that value represents an increase of 50% more animals than all of last year since only 2,088 patients were admitted in 2023. Historically this number is not very surprising as the program typically sees somewhere between 3,000 and 4,000 annual wildlife, yet the effects of this were felt by everyone here who participated: staff, interns, and volunteers alike. Although 600 of those admissions were turtle eggs, incubated by reptile & amphibian caretaker volunteers Cameron and Jack, we’ve still seen 138 different species in need of rehabilitation services that our team could provide. Here is a list of the top five species in nine months:

Over 900 animals have been released since the beginning of the year, and another 74 animals were transferred to other rehabilitators for continued care. We continue to work with hundreds more and want to thank everyone who helped get us through the busy summer season. Staff could not have done it without your support!

Two juvenile male bobkittens were admitted to DCHS’s Wildlife Center in mid-July 2024, estimated at 14 to 16 weeks old. By October 9^th they had both become “real bobcats” by graduating into their last, and largest, enclosure as needed for adequate space, prey training, and psychological development. These siblings, patients #24-2436 and #24-2426, have now reached 3.9 and 5.2 kilograms of body weight, respectively, and spend most of their time cuddled up together on the high perches of Wind: a raptor flight pen that was retrofitted by our wildlife building and grounds volunteers to keep them safely contained until the end of their rehabilitation.

Live-feed cameras allow us a sneak peek into their day-by-day behaviors and activities, making for a fun and educational viewing experience. They may not enjoy humans in any way, but they sure seem to enjoy each other’s company – which can only be described best through pictures and video while they think they’re alone:

It’s always a great day when turtle eggs hatch, but it’s even more fun when an uncommon species emerges! Spiny softshell turtles might seem like a fairly common turtle for our area, and while they are, DCHS’s Wildlife Center does not admit many of them throughout the year. Western painted turtles and common snapping turtles encompass the largest proportion of herptiles admitted for rehabilitation. However, this season, five out of 15 baby softshell turtles successfully hatched from their eggs after being admitted without a mother. As the story goes, a large female annually lays her eggs at Bishop’s Bay Country Club in Middleton, Wis. On July 11, 2024, one of their members observed her laying eggs, but then she unexpectedly returned to the water without burying any of them. They were left fully exposed, which isn’t usually part of the process, and it was unlikely they’d survive in that condition. We don’t know if her actions were interrupted or intentional, but after a few hours without seeing her, it was suggested that the eggs be collected for admission and incubation in our reptile rehabilitation program.

Fun facts about softshell turtles:

Spiny softshell turtles are one of two softshell turtles here in Wisconsin, with the other being a species of special concern: the smooth softshell turtle. Smooth softshell turtles are only found in large rivers, such as the Mississippi River, and are predominantly located in the western half of the state. They lack spines along the carapace, have no scutes, and have longer noses than spiny softshell turtles. In addition, the smooth softshell turtles have round nostrils in contrast to “c-shaped” nostrils and display just one peach-tan stripe behind the eye bordered with black. Spiny softshell turtles have two black-bordered yellow stripes alongside the head and are more olive-gray in color. Both are amazing turtles that swim fast and enjoy burying themselves in sandy substrates. They also like crunchy foods like mollusks or crustaceans, although they are more adapted to hunting insects, and are known to be aggressive when handled.

Jackie Sandberg is the Wildlife Program Manager at DCHS's Wildlife Center.