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Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary @rockfishwildlife.bsky.social · 01/10/2025

🚨 Tickets are NOW ON SALE for our Sanctuary Soirée! 🎉 Join us on November 14th for a fun evening in support of our lifesaving work for wildlife. ⁣🐢 ⁣ Early bird pricing is only available through October 14th, so grab your tickets today! 🐣 ⬇️ 🎟️ onecau.se/_catqa1

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Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary @rockfishwildlife.bsky.social · 13/08/2025

Taylor Swift looooves opossums 🧡❤️‍🔥 We’ll be tuning into @newheightsofficial.bsky.social later to hear all about North America’s favorite marsupial! 😍⁣

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Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary @rockfishwildlife.bsky.social · 07/08/2025

A generous donor sent us these playnets from our Amazon Wish List, and boy, do our raccoon patients love them! 🥹🦝 Send these pics to someone who needs an extra reason to smile today. ♥️⁣

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Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary @rockfishwildlife.bsky.social · 30/06/2025

Pride has 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 to do with conservation and helping wild animals! 🏳️‍🌈 Though Pride Month is drawing to a close, we celebrate all year long because we know that our earth and all of its inhabitants—humans and animals alike—are stronger when 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 is safe, protected, and heard. 💪⁣ ⁣

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Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary @rockfishwildlife.bsky.social · 25/06/2025

Us today: 🥵😭🤬😓🫠🍦⁣ ⁣ The good news is that you can help keep your wild neighbors cool this summer! 🧊 Providing shade and fresh water are safe, easy ways to support backyard wildlife as long as you follow some simple guidelines. ⬇️

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Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary @rockfishwildlife.bsky.social · 20/06/2025

Enrichment is a vital part of wildlife rehab. It’s what transforms an instinct into a skill. 🤓 For this fledgling Red-bellied Woodpecker patient, for example, we drilled holes in his enclosure logs and stuffed them with suet to encourage him to begin to forage independently. 💪♥️

A juvenile red-bellied woodpecker perches on a log across the floor of an enclosure. Its black and white striped back is towards the camera but it turns its head around to look at the camera with an open beak. The log it stands on has small holes along it, filled with yellowish suet and seed. There are leafy branches and a food dish out of focus in the background.

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Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary @rockfishwildlife.bsky.social · 18/06/2025

He’s not angry, just disappointed. 😖 What do you this juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk is so grumpy about? 😆

A juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk perches on top of a doorway, looking down at the photographer. It is inside a flight enclosure in the woods and trees are visible in the background.

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Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary @rockfishwildlife.bsky.social · 16/06/2025

How your email finds us this morning ⬇️🫠⁣ ⁣ Young groundhogs tend to be dramatic eaters! They’ll clean their bowl and then pass out surrounded by the scraps, showing off a full belly. Sounds like a great way to spend a morning, if you ask us. 💤⁣

A juvenile groundhog lays belly up on a green towel. Its feet are up in the air as it is fast asleep. You can see its two incisors poking out from its open mouth. There are scraps of food around him as he sleeps.

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Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary @rockfishwildlife.bsky.social · 15/06/2025

Happy Father’s Day to all the songbird dads out there, feeding their babies every 30 minutes, all day long…and Happy Father’s Day to the human dads out there, probably doing about the same! 🤣♥️⁣

an Eastern Bluebird fledgling perched on a thin branch. Its yellow beak is open and looks at the camera. Behind it out of focus is a fledgling Carolina Wren. They are surrounded by leafy branches.

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Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary @rockfishwildlife.bsky.social · 13/06/2025

This Eastern Ratsnake arrived last Friday quite literally in knots! 😅 Read all about his rescue in our new blog post: 🐍 rockfishwildlifesanctuary.org/2025/06/12/e...

An eastern ratsnake is held up for the camera. Its head sticks out and looks at the camera but it is covered in tangled black netting a couple inches down its body. Its skin is dull and its eyes are cloudy. It is held by two gloved hands over a cardboard box.

Three hands are pictured holding an eastern ratsnake's body. Two hands hold it securely against a towel and a third hand slides underneath the tangled netting clump still surrounding the snake's mid-section.

The freed eastern ratsnake sits inside an enclosure, coiled up next to a pool of fresh water. It looks at the camera.

The eastern ratsnake sits in a box on some paper towels on its way to be released. It is glossy and black with shiny, hydrated scales.

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Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary @rockfishwildlife.bsky.social · 10/06/2025

Cuteness alert! ‼️ Our skunk playpen cam footage is here to brighten your day. 🦨⁣ ⁣ We already have 𝟭𝟴 𝗼𝗿𝗽𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗸𝘂𝗻𝗸𝘀 in care at RWS this season! The majority of these kits have arrived after their mother was hit by a car, sadly. We’re happy to give them the second chance they deserve. ♥️

Six striped skunk kits play inside of a large playpen draped with a white sheet. There is a tub full of dirt to play in and a cardboard box as a makeshift hide. This photo shows the skunks all standing to the right inside of their food dish while they eat. One stands in front of the camera showing off its fluffy tail.

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Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary @rockfishwildlife.bsky.social · 06/06/2025

We kicked off our new weekly Community Conversation segment on NBC29 yesterday! 🎉🎥 Our executive director enjoyed chatting about snapping turtle facts and myths with anchor Steve Rappaport. Tune in every Thursday around 4:45PM and hear what's new at RWS. 📺

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Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary @rockfishwildlife.bsky.social · 05/06/2025

We said what we said! 🤭 Wildlife myths hurt animals and the humans trying to care for them.

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Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary @rockfishwildlife.bsky.social · 02/06/2025

Where did May go?! Oh, right, we were kind of busy. 😅 We admitted nearly 200 patients in May and have 𝟭𝟵𝟭 𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹𝘀 currently in rehabilitative care at RWS. 😮‍💨 That’s 191 animals receiving daily husbandry and treatment, some with 6+ bottle feedings per day! 🍼⁣

A juvenile Eastern Screech-owl sits inside a wildlife incubator. it is dark grey with a lot of fluffy lighter grey down. It looks straight at the camera with yellowish green eyes. Its beak is slightly open. White text above the picture says "When you realize it's already June"

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Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary @rockfishwildlife.bsky.social · 30/05/2025

Mark your calendars! 🗓️ We are so excited to announce our Sanctuary Soirée at Pollak Vineyards on 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟭𝟰𝘁𝗵, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱. 🥳⁣ ⁣ 𝗪𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻! If you are an artist or business-owner interested in donating an art piece or experience, please get in touch! ❤️

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Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary @rockfishwildlife.bsky.social · 28/05/2025

Look at this patient’s lovely pink tail! 😍 Opossums sometimes get a bad rap for their “rat tails,” but that tail represents an important feat of evolution. Also, we love native rats. 🐀 ⁣ Opossums have prehensile tails, meaning their tails can grasp. It acts like a fifth hand as a result. ✋

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Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary @rockfishwildlife.bsky.social · 26/05/2025

Please enjoy these four Carolina Chickadee patients being adorable. You’re welcome. 💖

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Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary @rockfishwildlife.bsky.social · 23/05/2025

This former patient and her lovely moss hat would like to wish you a very happy #WorldTurtleDay! 🐢 She has since been released back to the wild, where we hope she's currently thriving.

A Eastern Box Turtle is half-burrowed in some reddish wood chips. Her head is underneath a clump of sphagnum moss. She looks directly at the camera with slightly squinted eyes. Her beak position looks like she is smiling.

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Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary @rockfishwildlife.bsky.social · 19/05/2025

It’s a feet up, belly out kind of day. Do ya agree? 💤⁣ These two hoglets were initially both admitted to RWS as lone orphans! 😮 They have now become fast friends in rehabilitative care, as you can tell. 🥹 ⁣ #WildlifeRehab

Two juvenile groundhogs are pictured. On the right is a round female groundhog laying on her back and looking up at the camera. Her big, full belly is round and she's hoisting her two back feet up into the air, displaying her long paw pads and nails. The male groundhog on the left is smaller and on his belly, tucked underneath the female's side as if trying to burrow under her.

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Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary @rockfishwildlife.bsky.social · 16/05/2025

Need a Friday pick-me-up? Look no further than these two adorable fox kits! 🦊💖 Learn all about their story in our new Patient of the Month blog post. ⬇️ 🔗 rockfishwildlifesanctuary.org/2025/05/16/r...

A young red fox kit the size of a football curls up on a white sheet inside of a blue plastic tote. He looks up at the camera with brown gray eyes. Cream text on green background says “from lone orphan” and a dotted line arrow leads to the next slide.

A grid of 4 photos, all screen grabs from the fox playpen trail camera that monitored the two kits’ first meeting. They get progressively closer to one another before a playful pounce and a sweet nose to nose touch at the end. White text at the top says “fox cam footage.”

The two red fox kits lay down flat on the floor of the playpen after playing all day. They are exhausted from so much fun. Continuing from the first picture’s caption of “from lone orphan,” a white arrow leads to the words “to messy, sleepy BFFs!” On a green background at the bottom of this final picture.

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Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary @rockfishwildlife.bsky.social · 15/05/2025

Now THOSE are some perfect ears for eavesdropping. 👂👂 What kind of gossip do you think this cutie is picking up? 🤫⁣ ⁣ #WildlifeRehab #Opossums #BigEars

A young opossum Joey balances on a log and looks at the camera head on. It has large black and white ears and a bright pink nose with whiskers going out in all directions from its snout. There is an opossum on the bottom of the enclosure in the background.

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Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary @rockfishwildlife.bsky.social · 13/05/2025

Our executive director, Sarah Cooperman, had the pleasure to chat with 29News WVIR's Erin Brown last night about RWS's busy baby season and upcoming projects. 🎥 Check out our Community Conversations segment at the link below! ⬇️ www.29news.com/video/2025/0...

29news.com

Community Conversation: Sarah Cooperman with the Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary (5-12-25)

Executive director Sarah Cooperman

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Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary @rockfishwildlife.bsky.social · 08/05/2025

Baby birds are here! 🐣 We’ve been so busy feeding them every 30 minutes that we haven’t posted about them. 🤣 Currently we are caring for: ♥️ 5 Eastern Bluebirds ♥️ 3 Carolina Wrens ♥️ 1 White-breasted Nuthatch ♥️ 2 Eastern Phoebes ♥️ 2 American Crows ♥️ 1 adorable teeny House Finch ⬇️ #BirdNerds

A small House Finch nestling the size of a dollar coin sits in a nest of white tissues. It opens its yellow beak to reveal a large red mouth. It has gray downy fluff along its head.

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Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary @rockfishwildlife.bsky.social · 05/05/2025

Raise your hand if you wish you woke up in the triple decker opossum pouch this morning. 🙋😭⁣

A three tiered sewed hammock hangs from the top of a small wire crate. Two juvenile opossums peek out from the top two levels.

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Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary @rockfishwildlife.bsky.social · 02/05/2025

Today's the day! 🥳 Swing by our baby shower at Selvedge Brewing this evening from 4PM-7PM this evening. Bring a baby season wish list item and get a drink ticket from Selvedge! 🍺

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Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary @rockfishwildlife.bsky.social · 01/05/2025

Come on out to Selvedge Brewing's #Charlottesville taproom tomorrow and support our wildlife baby shower! 🍼🐾 Bring an item from our baby season wish list and get a free drink ticket as a thank you from our friends at Selvedge. 🍻 Check out our wish list in the replies. See you there!

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Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary @rockfishwildlife.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

Are you left or right hog today? 👀⁣😊😠 ⁣ Our baby groundhog patients are growing fast! They’re enjoying their dirt bowls, as you can tell from these two messy hoglets. Dirt bowls are important enrichment items for young burrowing species as it gives them the opportunity to practice digging. 🪏⁣

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Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary @rockfishwildlife.bsky.social · 23/04/2025

Please tell Gumbo you love her even though she’s so small she needs to be fed in a separate bowl-sized Tupperware so we can confirm exactly how much she eats. 🥹⁣

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Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary @rockfishwildlife.bsky.social · 22/04/2025

Earth Day presents an opportunity for all of us to pause and reconnect with the world around us! This Earth Day, consider pledging to: ⁣ 🐱 Keep domestic cats indoors. ⁣ 🌿 Plant majority native plants at your home. 🐭 Stop using rodenticides and glue traps—for good. ⁣

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Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary @rockfishwildlife.bsky.social · 21/04/2025

If you have a yard, you probably have an Eastern Cottontail or two! 👯‍♂️ Save this post so you have a quick reference guide for when you encounter a bun that looks fresh outta the oven. 🐇⁣

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Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary @rockfishwildlife.bsky.social · 16/04/2025

Meet our very first orphaned raccoon kit of 2025! 🎉 The second photo shows just how teeny this patient is compared to our seasonal rehab staff member, Caitlynn. 😲🥺⁣ ⁣ Learn about this little raccoon kit’s story in our new blog post. ⬇️ 🦝 rockfishwildlifesanctuary.org/2025/04/16/f...

An infant raccoon rests its head on the edge of a white incubator. Its eyes are sealed shut and it is just starting to grow gray fur.

A young woman holds an infant raccoon inside a quarantine tent. She is wearing full-body PPE.

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Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary @rockfishwildlife.bsky.social · 14/04/2025

Opossum baby season is here! 🎉 Share these tips with folks in your life so we can all lend a helping hand to our favorite native pouched mammals. ⁣💪 Have you ever rescued a baby opossum before and brought it to RWS or another licensed rehabber? Reply with your rescue story! 👀

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Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary @rockfishwildlife.bsky.social · 10/04/2025

Any guesses about who’s been chewing on this patient’s house? 🤔 This squirrel couldn’t 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘺 be the culprit. Someone better own up to it or ELSE. 😡⁣

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Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary @rockfishwildlife.bsky.social · 07/04/2025

We're slapping our tails to tell you it’s #InternationalBeaverDay! 🦫⁣ What's your favorite thing about beavers?

An infant North American beaver kit stands on a light green fleece inside of a plastic tote at the Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary's animal care nursery.

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Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary @rockfishwildlife.bsky.social · 04/04/2025

Happy #WorldRatDay! 🐀 Please admire RWS patient 25-016, an absolutely adorable Allegheny Woodrat. 😍⁣

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Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary @rockfishwildlife.bsky.social · 02/04/2025

After carefully considering how we could best improve skunk patient wellbeing, we have decided to implement a revolutionary new program at the Sanctuary: every orphaned skunk patient coming into care will be fitted with eyeglasses! 🦨🤓⁣

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Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary @rockfishwildlife.bsky.social · 31/03/2025

Share this important PSA with a bird lover in your life! 🐤

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Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary @rockfishwildlife.bsky.social · 31/03/2025

Hummingbird migration is coming! 🌹🌸We chatted with 29News WVIR about how folks can attract these charming flying jewels to their yards in the next few weeks. www.29news.com/2025/03/28/h...

29news.com

Hummingbirds return: Tracking their migration through central Virginia

Hummingbirds are making their return to central Virginia as part of their annual spring migration.

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Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary @rockfishwildlife.bsky.social · 20/03/2025

Leonard the opossum made his debut on @cbs19news.bsky.social last night. 🎥 He nailed all of his cues! 😆 Learn some opossum mating season tips and see Leonard enjoy his moment in the spotlight. ⬇️ www.cbs19news.com/news/wildlif...

cbs19news.com

Catching Up With Cassidie 03/19

Sarah Cooperman with Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary brings Leonard the possum to the CBS19 studios.

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Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary @rockfishwildlife.bsky.social · 18/03/2025

This is why we really mean it when we say don’t try this at home, folks! 🚨 (Pssssst…it’s also illegal.) ⁣ Please take a moment and share this so more folks can learn that licensed rehabbers like us are here to help wild animals and humans alike. ♥️⁣ #WildlifeRehab #BabySeason #TheMoreYouKnow

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Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary @rockfishwildlife.bsky.social · 17/03/2025

Happy St. Paddy’s Day from our o’possum patients to you! 🍀 Share this for a little dose of luck today. ✨ ⁣ And yes, we mean *O*possums. Possums live in Australia and are a different group of marsupials. Remember to include that o when writing about your favorite North American marsupial! 💕⁣

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Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary @rockfishwildlife.bsky.social · 13/03/2025

They’re heeeeeeeere! 👽🛸⁣ ⁣ Okay, no aliens (yet). But, we have welcomed the first baby squirrel patients this season at RWS! This trio came in on the same day as two other groups of baby squirrels, kicking off our baby season with a bang.💥

Three baby squirrels cuddle in a small tub. Their eyes are closed and they each have a small dab of nail polish on one ear to identify individuals.

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Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary @rockfishwildlife.bsky.social · 10/03/2025

Happy National Wildlife Rehabilitators Appreciation Day! 🥳 We are so thankful to have such intelligent, passionate, and often quite hilarious rehabilitators on our team at RWS. 🐾 Between our staff and our dozens of dedicated volunteers, we are powered by licensed rehabbers who truly care. 💪💕⁣ ⁣

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Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary @rockfishwildlife.bsky.social · 07/03/2025

Baby squirrels: masters of cuddling. 🥹 These two were orphaned patients last year and have since been released back to the wild. 🎉 That said…do y’all think we have babies yet? Are we keeping squirrelly secrets from you?! 😉👀 #WildlifeRehab

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Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary @rockfishwildlife.bsky.social · 03/03/2025

This World Wildlife Day, we want you to know that your hope, fight, and care still matter to 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 of species around the world. 🌎🐾🌳 Let these released patients be the proof you need to keep going. 💪⁣ #WorldWildlifeDay #WildlifeRehab #Conservation #Wildlife #AnimalLovers

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Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary @rockfishwildlife.bsky.social · 28/02/2025

Hey Charlottesvillians! Join us on March 15th at Wild Birds Unlimited. 📢🐦 #Charlottesville #Cville #BirdLovers #Birdwatching

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Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary @rockfishwildlife.bsky.social · 26/02/2025

Attention Charlottesville-area folks! Please share and help us house our fabulous summer student interns this season. 💕🐾 #Cville #Charlottesville #NelsonCounty #Scottsville

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Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary @rockfishwildlife.bsky.social · 25/02/2025

Wildlife baby season is almost here! 🍼 What species are you most looking forward to seeing this spring and summer? 👀

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