The center was started in 1979 when veterinarian, Dr. Foster (of the well known Drs. Foster and Smith Pet Supply Company) started caring for injured wildlife when locals would bring the animals to his vet practice. After caring for a injured deer, word spread around town and people would bring all sorts of injured animals to him for tend. He expanded out the back of his vet practice and created the Wildlife Center. Now there are many birds of prey that are permanently housed in the yard behind the center. (They are not able to be released back into the wild.). We saw a bald eagle, red tailed hawk, barred owls, white snow owl, great horned owl, American kestrel, and others on our guided tour.
Inside the Wildlife Center, there are many turtles, snakes, a crow (named Russell Crow!), and a turkey vulture. Each animal cage has information about their habitat, diet and other pertinent data. The kids loved seeing the fresh food in the cages.
Also there are taxidermy animals- weasels, raccoon, wolverine, otter, loons, and owls. You are able to see these animals up close since normally you can only view from a distance or not at all.
An observation window in the nursery showcases small animals that have recently been rescued and are needing care. We watched a hummingbird be fed with a syringe. Also, a few day old grey squirrel was fed with a wet Q-tip. The squirrel was pink and still had fused eyes. It was impressive to see the care and attention given to the animals. Our field trip to the Northwoods Wilderness Center fulfilled our science lesson for the week!
Seeing the rescue center was another side of the Northwoods that was great to experience!
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