Jul 24, 2024

Behind the Numbers: Wildlife Center's May and June 2024 Patient Intakes

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May and June 2024 have been very busy for DCHS's Wildlife Center. Read about how patient admission compares to last year, and what were the top species admitted over this two-month period.

Dane County Humane Society’s Wildlife Center rehabilitates thousands of sick and injured animals each year, and the program reached 1,567 intakes by June 30th, 2024. Below is a chart of the top five species admitted in May and June:

Top photo: Adult Wood Duck #24-0934 recovers indoors after she and her cavity-nesting tree fell down during severe storms. She incurred bruises, abrasions, trauma to her beak, and feather loss, but recovered and was released on July 6th 2024 after a month in rehabilitation.

Admissions on the Rise

Total patient volume increased by 59% in 2024 compared to the total number of animals that were admitted last year at this same time. It may not be apparent now, but one care area hasn’t been factored into that equation just yet as the percentage does not include the number of turtle eggs being incubated by our dedicated reptile and amphibian caretaking volunteers. For now, all we’ll tell you is that we’ve likely reached a record year for turtles, but it’s not over yet. You’ll just have to wait until this fall to see how many Chelonians we helped to hatch and save in our reptile recovery program – conserving species one patient at a time.

Wildlife Center Logs Thousands of Calls in 2 Months

Thank you to everyone in Wildlife Reception! According to our internet-based phone line system, over 2,000 calls were made to DCHS’s Wildlife Center (extension 151) during the months of May and June 2024. This does not include texts or e-mails that came solely through those channels, but the numbers below help show how busy it has been.

Thank you, reception volunteers:

  • Maureen Wall
  • Mary Manering
  • Will Wagner
  • Holly Hill-Putnam
  • Sandy Lawrence
  • Mary Murrell
  • Jen Carthew

Thank you, reception staff: Emily Temte and Tessa Collins

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

Wildlife Receptionist staff member Emily Temte, along with many other staff members, help triage hundreds of phone calls on behalf of DCHS’s Wildlife Center each week. Thank you to everyone involved!

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