Walls of Love

red fox

I’m combining a Weekly Photo Challenge: Love and Travel Theme: Walls together into Walls of Love a post on nurturing love. Walls of Love is all about walls that enclose, protect and provide shelter for rescued native wildlife. Wildlife can be dangerous especially when it is injured, and so you should approach it cautiously.

There are people who love and carefully rescue hurt birds, reptiles and animals and bring them to nature centers and shelters for help. Native wildlife like bobcats, blue jays and foxes are rescued by people and brought to the Willowbrook Wildlife Center for medical treatment and rehabilitation.

blue jay

The open air walls of cages protect and shelter the wildlife while they recover like a resident fox:

“A Lombard resident called police on July 25 that this kit red fox was hanging out on her back porch and not moving very well. After a short chase, the police were able to catch her and bring her to Willowbrook for care. She was suffering from an old fractured leg as well as mange. After a thorough evaluation, Dr. Higgs decided that her leg would never heal properly and needed to be removed. Unfortunately, a 3-legged fox would not be able to hunt well enough on her own to survive in the wild. The decision was made to amputate the leg and keep her as a permanent resident at Willowbrook to share the cage with our other red fox.

With proper medicine, the mange improved and the next step of removing the leg could be done. She recovered from surgery very well and was placed on Trail on September 5. She jumps over logs, up onto the hammocks, and runs all over the cage as if she had all 4 legs! Be sure and stop by the red fox cage on Trail to see how adaptable the fox has become on her 3 legs!” Red Fox, Rehabilitation Stories at Willowbrook Wildlife Center.

The rehabilitation and education center open to the public where individuals and families can learn about wildlife and local ecosystems.

bald eagle

bobcat

red fox

owl

blue jay

Nature centers are wonderful places to visit experiencing wildlife first hand and learning what you can do locally, in your own backyard or windowsill. Go local, think global. Wildlife nature rescue and rehabilitation centers are throughout the U.S. and around the world. If you want to visit one in your hometown or region, here is a list Wildlife Rescue Groups in the U.S. and around the globe: International Wildlife Rescue Groups

A related post about another nature center that accepts injured wildlife: Schoolhouse in the Woods