Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary

Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary (RWS) aims to improve our environment through wildlife rehabilitation and raising awareness in our community about the importance of native species. We envision a vibrant and compassionate future for wildlife in Virginia and beyond. Whether it be an injured Red-tailed Hawk or an orphaned white footed mouse, every wild animal plays a valuable role in wild ecosystems and deserves a second chance at life in the wild. RWS's rehabilitation program provides each patient with that second chance, and our education programs empower future conservationists to respect and protect wildlife.

Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary accomplishes these goals through multiple routes.

The Sanctuary's wildlife rehabilitation program admits a record-number of wildlife patients nearly every year, speaking to the growing need for rehabbers in Central Virginia. In 2023, RWS admitted 915+ injured and orphaned wildlife patients - a vast increase from even 5 years ago, where the Sanctuary would care for about 750 patients. RWS has strategically remained a smaller volume rehabilitation facility, ensuring that every single animal entering the Sanctuary's doors receives a highly individualized care plan informed by that unique animal's condition and natural history needs.

Our educational goal strategies include both a free public wildlife crisis hotline and on- and off-site educational programs for groups of all backgrounds. Whether an informal phone consultation about an injured groundhog or a formal lecture about wildlife adaptations at a public high school, our education initiatives are adaptable and empowering.

RWS's capacity for rehabilitation is well-established and continues to grow. The organization's team of staff and volunteer rehabilitators work from 7AM-7PM during the busy "baby season" to provide the highest quality of care possible for each and every patient entering the Sanctuary's doors. With a 3,000 sq. ft indoor facility and 53 outdoor pre-release enclosures, all built from the ground up specifically for wildlife rehabilitation, Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary serves as a vital community resource for most native species in Virginia.

In terms of our capacity for education, RWS also has ten resident education ambassador animals that are non-releasable. These animals work closely with our staff trainers to prepare for public appearances, helping community members understand the importance of native wildlife. The Sanctuary offers on-site tour groups as well. Our wildlife hotline is managed by our paid staff rehabilitators, each of whom is licensed and knowledgeable about natural history and regulations. Thus, we provide free advice and information year-round for a wide variety of wildlife conflict situations.

The Sanctuary's release rate is consistently well-above the national release rate for wildlife rehabilitation, speaking to the top-notch care plans RWS crafts for each patient. With a new vehicle as of 2022, RWS can perform more field rescues and patient releases than ever before. RWS continues to strategically build species-specific outdoor enclosures to expand its capacity to care for a wider range of wildlife, including a bat flight enclosure in 2021 and a Chimney Swift enclosure in 2023.

The Sanctuary's education program has also grown immensely in the past decade, reaching over 3,000 Virginians every year through in-person programming - and hundreds of thousands annually through our educational social media pages where we share information about the species we care for. In the future, RWS hopes to expand our property and establish a new building specifically for education programming in order to increase our capacity for community outreach.