WILLOW, N. American porcupine
Willow is a female porcupine that was born at Fort Rickey Discovery Zoo located in Rome, NY. She joins Hawk Creek Wildlife Center as an ambassador for her species. This small and mighty porcupine is quite social and does not hesitate to steal a sweet potato from her trainers!
Walnut, N. American porcupine
Walnut is imprinted on humans and was getting himself into a lot of trouble in the wild. He was chasing people around as he seeks human companionship, chewing up porches and was begging for food from a family. These behaviors would have eventually cost him his life. At the Center he is now safe and gets all of the attention, and sweet potatoes, he craves!
SCOUT, Gray fox
Scout had a violent entrance into this world—he was born when his mother was hit by a car. A rehabilitator was able to save his life, but due to the intensive care he required he became habituated to humans. Since Scout never nursed from his mother he also has lifelong health issues that require monitoring to keep him healthy and thriving. Scout loves spending time with his trainers and playing with new toys, he especially loves when he gets a deer bone—he runs around trying to find just the right spot to bury it!
ATTICUS, burro
Atticus is a male burro or donkey that joined the “herd” in 2017. Being a Center that predominantly houses predators, there are few animals at our facility that we can allow the public to have physical contact with. Atticus, along with his sidekick Bambam the goat, love human interaction and seek out human touch and attention. These sweet boys help to encourage compassion and gentleness for other living beings.
BAMBAM, fainting goat
Bambam the Fainting Goat was found as a kid in the streets of Cleveland! He was rescued and brought to a horse stable where he grew up “helping” to give horseback riding lessons! As Bambam got older he started to be a destructive goat chewing on saddles and halters. He was donated to the Center and since his arrival he has made hundreds of human friends and follows his caretakers around everywhere, his best buddy however is Atticus!
BUFFALO BERT, Groundhog
Buffalo Bert, affectionately known as “Dilbert,” was found when he was one week old. His mother had been shot and the babies were taken in by a family that attempted to raise them. By the time Hawk Creek was contacted there was only one survivor. After extensive medical care and around the clock formula feeding Dilbert slowly re-gained his health, but not his wild nature. He has secured a permanent home as an ambassador at the Center and has become Buffalo’s official “weather hog.”
FOSSIL, virginia opossum
Fossil, and his sister Passel, were both rescued after their mother had been hit by a car. Unfortunately these siblings became imprinted on humans during their rehabilitation and were unable to be released back out into the wild. Fossil is the more adventurous of the two and loves to explore different gardens around the Center.
PASSEL, virginia opossum
Passel, and her brother Fossil, were both orphaned after their mother was hit by a car. Unfortunately they became imprinted on humans while they were being rehabilitated so were unable to be released back to the wild. Passel enjoys curling up for a nap with her brother, in fact they almost always choose to share the same den! Her favorite treats are pieces of meat.
WICKET, striped skunk
This inquisitive and playful Striped Skunk loves to get into absolutely everything! His favorite toys are cat toys with bells and slow feeders that require him to use his mind and his claws to extract his treats! Due to their smelly defense tactics, and their intelligence helping them get into mischief, skunks are often very misunderstood neighbors. Wicket teaches people about the importance of skunks and how we can live in harmony with them.
