Ohio Wildlife Center’s Education Department welcomed seven new Animal Ambassadors in 2021:
Two turtles, an eastern fox snake, a flying squirrel, a Big Brown Bat, a quail and a hawk.
Ambassadors have permanent or irreparable injuries that prevent their return to a wild habitat, such as the inability to fly, hunt, or see, neurological impairments or being habituated to humans as illegal pets. They reside at the Center’s Powell Education Center sanctuary in natural enclosures and help teach and educate Ohioans about wildlife and peacefully co-existing with wildlife in urban and suburban settings.
“Our Education Ambassadors are valued members of our team and we provide an optimum environment for them to live out their natural lives,” said Stormy Gibson, assistant executive director of the Center. “Each has a personal story that emphasizes how interconnected we are in our environment, no matter where we live,” she added. “They are natural teachers for all students who have the opportunity to observe and learn from them.”
The newest Animal Ambassadors are:
Dotty Parton
Dotty is a spotted turtle, an endangered species in Ohio. She was taken from the wild 50 years ago and kept as a pet, ultimately surrendered by her owners to Ohio Wildlife Center. Dotty enjoys basking on logs and swimming with her new friends in her shared tank: Compass the northern map turtle and Silver the musk turtle.
Scot
Scot is a young midland painted turtle, surrendered to Ohio Wildlife Center from owners who kept him as a pet.
Scot currently has a condition known as shell rot, so he receives daily medications at the Wildlife Center for this to treat it. Scot is lively and because of a tendency to overreact to other turtles, he enjoys swimming in his own personal aquarium.
Gwenivere (Gwen)
Gwen is an adult Red-tailed hawk. After being hit by a car in Southern Ohio, she was taken to a local veterinarian for treatment. She stayed at the veterinarian’s facility until she was stabilized, and then she was brought to Ohio Wildlife Center for further care. The extent of her injuries required that one of her toes had to be removed. Because this now impairs her ability to hunt or eat in the wild, she could not be released.
Vanna White
Vanna was found as a tiny chick wandering around suburban Worthington and was first identified as a pheasant chick. She was placed with a Wildlife Center homecare volunteer and later moved to the Pre-Release Facility. After further testing, it was determined that Vanna was a domestic quail. Bobwhite quails were once a common game bird in Ohio, but have been nearly nonexistent for the last 50 years. Vanna is a high energy ambassador who loves snacks.
Wayne
Wayne came to the Center’s Hospital as an injured Big Brown Bat. He is missing a wing tip and could not be released because he can no longer fly. He likes to cuddle between towel folds in his enclosure and munch on mealworms and dubia roaches.
Seemore
Seemore is a young flying squirrel who came to the hospital with an orbital injury. It necessitated the removal of his left eye. This condition has caused him to have no depth perception, so he could not be released as his climbing and foraging abilities are severely limited. He has a sweet personality and enjoys his little fabric pouches where he naps and hides.
Felix
Felix is an eastern fox snake, who was brought to Ohio Wildlife Center after being found in Cleveland. It is believed he was abandoned outdoors after being kept as a house pet. It appears likely he was initially taken from the wild in a location outside of Ohio. Eastern fox snakes are found only in the Great Lakes region in North America and 70 percent of their range is in Ontario, Canada along the shorelines of Lake Huron and Lake Erie.