Dane County Humane Society's Wildlife Center

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Dane County Humane Society's Wildlife Center DCHS’s Wildlife Center provides rehabilitation services to injured, ill, and orphaned wildlife.

Humans have a big impact on the natural world, especially on the wild creatures that share it with us. Since our wildlife center was founded in 2002, we have constantly strived to expand, adapt, and hone our skills and resources to provide the best care possible for the wildlife patients that come through our doors. We rely on a small dedicated staff, many passionate volunteers, and the invaluable generosity of donors in order to make a difference one paw, wing, tail, or scale at a time. We are Dane County Humane Society’s Wildlife Center, and we couldn’t do what we do without you! Please consider supporting our work by donating at www.giveshelter.org/donatewildlife. You may also offer support by donating items from our wish lists: https://www.giveshelter.org/how-to-help/wish-list or from Amazon - https://a.co/dv8XThb.

🌿 Meet the Patient Monday! 🌿In honor of October, we wanted to highlight a spooky-season staple… the Big Brown Bat!A few ...
10/12/2026

🌿 Meet the Patient Monday! 🌿

In honor of October, we wanted to highlight a spooky-season staple… the Big Brown Bat!

A few weeks ago, this bat arrived in a slimy state! He was accidentally sprayed with a polyurethane sealant while some homeowners were working to seal up the outside of their house.

The material coated his entire body and was thoroughly stuck in his hair. To remove the sealant, we have been sedating him for 30 minutes every few days and carefully taking it off piece by piece with warm baths, mascara brushes, and small tweezers.

We only put him under anesthesia for 30 minutes at a time to minimize his exposure to the isoflurane gas, and so he doesn’t lose too much body heat during the procedure. It has taken quite a bit of time, but we have removed the majority of the sealant from his skin and hair, and hope to get the remainder off today. A big thank you to our Certified Veterinary Technicians for all their hard work!

If we do get the remaining sealant off today and he has not lost too much hair in the process, then hopefully we can get him back in the wild before winter.

We have a Bobcat update!A few weeks ago, we shared our new furry patient for Meet the Patient Monday!Unfortunately, he t...
10/10/2026

We have a Bobcat update!

A few weeks ago, we shared our new furry patient for Meet the Patient Monday!

Unfortunately, he tested positive for ringworm, so it is going to be a few weeks before he can be transferred to a facility with other young Bobcats.

He is currently taking oral antifungal medication and twice weekly lime-sulfur baths (which he is not a fan of) to treat his ringworm. Right now, we can give him his baths without too much trouble, but as he gets bigger, we may have to start sedating him. He has an active and feisty personality that keeps everyone at the Wildlife Center on their toes!

Despite the handling challenge, it’s great news that he gets harder to handle as he grows. We want him to have his natural Bobcat instincts for when he goes back into the wild.

His favorite activity is playing with an enrichment box full of shredded newspaper, and at night (or after his lime-sulfur baths), he enjoys cuddling with a warming “snuggle disk” we provide!

This week the Wildlife Center released a Big Brown Bat, a Little Brown Bat, an Eastern Cottontail, a Swainson’s Thrush, ...
10/08/2026

This week the Wildlife Center released a Big Brown Bat, a Little Brown Bat, an Eastern Cottontail, a Swainson’s Thrush, a Common Yellowthroat, a Green Heron, 3 Cooper’s Hawks, a Western Painted Turtle, and 3 American Robins!

Two of this week’s Cooper’s Hawks arrived at the Wildlife Center in July as hatchlings. They had somehow fallen from the tree they called home and neither nest nor parents could be found. These rugged little cotton balls were quite new to the world and unfortunately had not been in the care of their parents for long. Well, at least not while they're conscious–it’s pretty dark inside an eggshell. Raising babies in rehabilitation is time and resource consuming but very rewarding. The Wildlife Center received the wonderful gift of watching them return to the wild earlier this week!

This week's Green Heron fractured part of the gnathotheca, (the lower part of the beak) and underwent a creative surgical repair to get back into shape. Wildlife orthopedics often involves thinking outside the box. There are no designers who specialize in every variety of bird beak in Wisconsin, let alone the whole animal kingdom. As the injury healed and new beak grew in, staff ensured that the two parts of the beak would sit together well enough to hunt and survive in the wild. This handsome young fellow returned to the wild on Monday in good form to migrate before winter arrives.

🌿 Meet the Patient Monday! 🌿We currently have eight Mourning Doves in our care, so we thought it was about time to highl...
10/05/2026

🌿 Meet the Patient Monday! 🌿

We currently have eight Mourning Doves in our care, so we thought it was about time to highlight one of them!

In mid-September, we admitted a juvenile Mourning Dove that was found with their feathers all puffed up and in a depressed state. We believe that this dove was attacked by another animal, as they were missing many feathers and had wounds on their back. They were also extremely thin and dehydrated—this bird was having a rough time.

In the last couple of weeks, they have almost doubled in weight and their wounds have healed. We now only need to patiently wait for their remaining feathers to grow back!

We recently moved them into an outdoor enclosure so that they could have more room to stretch their wings, and socialize with other doves in care. They are bright and active, and in no time at all should be ready to go!

10/01/2026

This week the Wildlife Center released 6 American Robins, 2 Big Brown Bats, a Chipping Sparrow, a Common Map Turtle, a House Wren, a Mourning Dove, a Northern Parula, a Virginia Opossum, and 2 Western Painted Turtles!

One of this week’s American Robins was admitted in July as a fledgling after being found on the ground. The robin was in a depressed state—lethargic and eyes were closed. They had a subcutaneous emphysema (condition where air from the respiratory system gets trapped under a bird’s skin), a puncture wound, and some bruising possibly from an animal interaction. This robin spent the next few months at the Wildlife Center for wound care and rest, until they were ready to be back in the wild!

This week’s Common Map Turtle spent her summer vacation with us after she was found in the middle of the road with several fractures and cracks to her shell. She had to get some small screws temporarily inserted in her shell to wire the shell fractures shut so they could heal. It took lots of time, patience, and medical care, but her shell is healed and she is ready for the wild!

On Labor Day weekend we highlighted this Osprey for one of our Meet the Patient Mondays after he was found unable to wal...
09/30/2026

On Labor Day weekend we highlighted this Osprey for one of our Meet the Patient Mondays after he was found unable to walk or fly.

We were worried about him possibly having Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). Since then he has been tested for HPAI and it came back negative, which is great news!

We believe that his neurologic symptoms are associated with some sort of trauma. His uncoordinated movements have mostly resolved, and he is eating well and improving.

He will be staying at the Wildlife Center for at least a few more weeks as we continue to assess his condition. He has recently been moved to an outdoor enclosure, and we are waiting on one of our larger flight pens to open up so we can start him on conditioning before pre-release.

As migration season slows, many people wonder when to take down their hummingbird feeders.Leave out your feeders as long...
09/29/2026

As migration season slows, many people wonder when to take down their hummingbird feeders.

Leave out your feeders as long as you're actively seeing hummingbirds. Having feeders out will not prevent them from migrating. If you do not see them for 2 weeks, then take your feeders down. 🌷🌻

🌿 Meet the Patient Monday! 🌿Do not let this not-so-green bird fool you… They are, in fact, a young Green Heron!This Gree...
09/28/2026

🌿 Meet the Patient Monday! 🌿

Do not let this not-so-green bird fool you… They are, in fact, a young Green Heron!

This Green Heron was admitted in late August after being found all alone as a hatchling. We looked for a nest in the area, but could not find one.

Although reuniting was our initial hope, the exam revealed a beak injury that required this young bird to stay in rehabilitation. We found an open fracture in the keratin sheath near the tip of the lower beak.

We splinted the injury and carefully tweezer-fed the heron fish for a few weeks to prevent any further damage. Soon enough, this heron graduated from tweezer-feeding to being able to feed itself, but needed the splint for an additional week to keep the fracture stable.

Currently they are thriving and eating on their own in an outdoor enclosure, but are not yet ready for release. The beak is stable but has a very slight misalignment, and we want to ensure that future growth won’t worsen the condition. Proper alignment is important for this species, which uses their beak to capture live prey.

We are closely monitoring this Green Heron’s beak growth for any changes, giving weekly beak trims, and providing them a steady stream of minnows!

This week the Wildlife Center released an American Goldfinch, a Bay-breasted Warbler, an Eastern Cottontail, 2 Mallards,...
09/24/2026

This week the Wildlife Center released an American Goldfinch, a Bay-breasted Warbler, an Eastern Cottontail, 2 Mallards, an Ovenbird, 8 Red Foxes, 2 Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, a Silver-haired Bat, a Virginia Opossum, and 4 Western Painted Turtles!

This week we said goodbye to our 8 beloved summer residents—the Red Foxes. For the last 4 months we have watched as they have grown from timid juvenile foxes to fierce young adults. It’s a bittersweet goodbye but we are so happy that they are able to start their next phase of life—the wild! We wish them luck on their next big journey together!

The Eastern Cottontail released this week was admitted to the Wildlife Center after a run in with a house cat. The juvenile cottontail came in with several wounds, but all of them were luckily mild. We provided anti-inflammatory medication, wound care, and rest. After a month the little rabbit was able to be released back into the wild!

Address

5132 Voges Road
Madison, WI
53718

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm
Sunday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+16082873235

Website

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