Ah-Lee is a sweet Pygmy goat who came to us from Raleigh, NC and fit in well with our little herd. She likes to tease the other goats and also loves attention and will be your best friend for a juicy apple or crunchy carrot.

Meet Patsy! She was found in the parking lot of the Patsy Pond Nature Trail. So we named her Patsy. She was lost, hungry, covered in infections, but still cute. She came back to Possumwood and became part of the family. After some research it was determined Patsy is a Juliana Pig, also known as the Miniature Painted Pig. Even though she isn't supposed to have a 'pot' belly, she likes to eat everyone else's food so she has developed a small 'pot'.

Willow is a black partial Lion Head rabbit. She loves grass, taking walks, and being brushed. She was found on the side of a busy road and brought to Possumwood Acres Wildlife Sanctuary. Although she she is a rabbit, she is domesticated and would not survive long in the wild. However, some people who get rabbits as pets and aren't sure what to do with them, sometimes release them thinking they will be ok. If you have a pet rabbit and can no longer take care of it, you can bring it to the local animal shelter, so it can be rehomed.

Shadow is an Eastern Gray Squirrel who is living with nerve damage, but it is limited to her right paw only. Gray squirrels are solitary animals, however, Shadow came to us with her sister Snowflake, who was leucistic causing her to not have enough pigment to create a gray coat. They lived together until Snowflake passed away and Shadow continues to live a happy life at Possumwood Acres. 

This is Squirrelly Boy! He was rescued and handled by a rehabilitator before his eyes were opened. Unfortunately, as soon as he opened his eyes, there were only humans around him, so now he thinks he's a human, we call this imprinting. Because of this imprinting, he does not have the normal squirrel survival skills and is living at Possumwood as a permanent resident.

Onyx is a large American (Common) Crow. When he was a baby, he fell from a tree and fractured his leg. We didn't receive Onyx until his leg was already set in a permanently twisted position. After a long time of physical therapy he was standing and learning how to perch. Soon after he started to learn how to fly. Crows are one of the most intelligent of the bird species. They can use tools to reach food and are able to mimic sounds and even learn to repeat words.

Kingsley is an American Kestrel. He came to Possumwood Acres in 2009 with scrapes and a swollen elbow and two metacarpal fractures. After many months of physical therapy, Kingsley still had some nerve damage and was unable to fly. Because he could not be released, he became a permanent resident and is now a part of the educational animal program.

Mike is a Broad-winged Hawk. He was found after being hit by a car, and was brought in with extensive wing and leg damage. He wasn't expected to live but he had a will to survive. After months of physical therapy and healing, he was able to stand on his own. However, because his injuries were so severe, he was not able to be released. He is currently living happily in an outdoor enclosure with another Broad-winged Hawk named Jack.

Jack is a Broad-winged Hawk, he has a very tiny non-functional left eye. It was most likely damaged in his nest or he may have been born that way. Because of his eye, he has poor depth perception and has difficulty flying. He flies in circles and often misses his perches. For his manning process (handler training), a procedure known as Operant Conditioning Training was used to help him learn to step up and down from a glove. Jack lives with Mike and loves going on walks with his handlers. 

Kyra is one of our Red Tail Hawks. She came to Possumwood in 2008. She had an old healed fracture on the right humerus near her wrist that cause a droop in her wing that made her unable to fly. Due to her size and pale coloring, she was given a DNA test to determine if she was male or female. After working with Kyra for a while, she showed a calm and well-tempered personality and became part of our animal education program.

Kris showed up at Possumwood Acres in 2012 as a transfer from wildlife shelter in Connecticut that had to close down. Common raptors such as Red-tailed Hawks are hard to place and can be euthanized if a home is not found. Kris was in this predicament until Canton Raptor Care reached out to Possumwood and we agreed to take her in. She has the eligibility to fly low but not well enough to survive in the wild, so she is non-releasable and now has a permanent home as a display raptor at Possumwood Acres.

Xena was found at the dump in Stella back in 2010 and brought to Possumwood with a pellet gun shot wound through her left elbow. This limited her mobility but with time she was healed and now lives happily with Kris.

Nika is our very first non-releasable Mississippi Kite.  Typically a more southern species, they are making their way slowly up the coast of the US and establishing themselves in North Carolina. Nika was found in Pitt County as a baby that had fallen from her nest and injured her wing.  She was evaluated and determined unable to migrate south and so would not survive the trip.  We have kept her inside to keep her warm in the winter and to become socialized. She is being manned (trained with a handler) so she can become part of the education program. Nika has definitely become our little princess. She loves attention and to be fed waxworms right out of your hand.

This is Cora and she is a Barred Owl. She was brought in with possible internal bleeding and head trauma, also eye trauma, which can lead to blindness. At first, it was thought she wouldn't make it, but after a couple of weeks she started getting better. Unfortunately her eye injury caused some vision loss, so she became non-releaseable. She was starting to be manned (a process of acclimating a bird to human handling), when a heart pattern was discovered throughout her tail. So using the latin word for heart, which is Cor, Cora recieved her name and a home.

This Barred Owl is Hootie. He came to Possumwood in 2009 after being hit by a car. He had left metacarpal damage and moderate retinal damage in both eyes. After some weeks of physical therapy he was put into an outdoor enclosure, where he improved and was able to navigate his new home and interact with guests and other owls. He loves to jump from perch to perch and sometimes hideout in the top shadows.

Zelda is a Barred Owl. She arrived in 2010 after being hit by a car and suffering multiple fractures to her left wing. Her beak was severely cracked and barely hanging on. To keep her beak from falling off, it was put back in place and covered with crazy glue.  Her fracturing was so severe there was the thought of amputation, but fortunately she was able to keep it but the bones did not heal perfectly aligned and are in the position of over-riding each other. She has limited use of her left wing and does not have full range of motion or full flight. Zelda has a vivid beak color, this paired with the buttery color of her feathers makes her one beautiful owl! She can be seen cuddled up on a perch with Hootie in the outside enclosure.

Katrina is an Eastern Screech Owl. Don't let her cuteness fool you, wild Eastern Screech Owls can be just as aggressive as the largest owl. However, Katrina is really sweet and used in Possumwood's wildlife program. In 2014, she was found after being hit by a car and had severe eye damage. She was originally brought to Outerbanks Wildlife Shelter (OWLS) in Newport, NC, but due to her eye trauma she was sent to several clinics to try to save her eye. Unfortunately it had to be removed, so she was brought into Possumwood Acres for further recovery after her eye removal surgery and has been living a happy life being friends with the other screech owls.

Kotori is an Eastern Screech Owl that came to us in 2011. She has retinal damage to both eyes and has very poor Pupillary Light Reflex (PLR), which is a test to see how the eyes react. Her pupils remain enlarged which causes disorientation while hunting, it also causes extreme difficulty when she tries to find food. Now she is part of Possumwood's education program. Kotori's name is a unisex name from the Native American Hopi language, which means screech owl spirit and bird of luck. We gave her a unisex name because of the difficulty of telling the difference between a male and female screech owl. We found out she was a female after she laid eggs.

Say hello to Risha! She is a beautiful Red-Shoulder Hawk who came to Possumwood Acres in 2009. She had some old fractures that were completely healed and needed flight evaluation. Her evaluation showed that the fracture in her left humerus at the shoulder was preventing her from being able to have vertical flight. So she now lives our outside enclosure and spends her days hopping from perch to perch.

Bart is a Black Vulture. Bart was found as a baby and raised by a human without other vultures to teach him, so he imprinted and now thinks he is a human. He made it to Possumwood in 2010 and has been a big hit with kids. He loves untying shoelaces, pretty sandals, and painted toenails. Vultures are intelligent birds that need mental stimulation, love, and attention. They also make a vocal noise similar to a dog barking, so if you are close to Bart's enclosure you can hear him 'woof,' try 'woofing' back to see if he wants to play a game!

Vinnie is a Turkey Vulture. He was brought to Possumwood Acres after being found on the side of the road. His physical exam showed he was hit by a car, emaciated, lethargic, and tissue damage all over his body. He needed weeks of fluid therapy and slowly had to have solid foods added into his diet. After a while he was able to feed himself and also showed a calm disposition at being handled. His injuries caused him to be non-releasable but his demeanor made him perfect as an educational animal.

Burgaw is a male Peafowl, otherwise known as a Peacock. We recieved him in 2009. Burgaw will stand on his tippy toes and rattle his tail feathers to get the attention of a female so he can perform his little shimmy dance. To the surprise of most people peafowls can fly, and they also like to roost in the tops of the tall pine trees at night. They make a very loud inelegant cry that sounds similar to a diesel truck horn or a donkey braying. The noise Burgaw Blue made when he first arrived, helped us give him his name. He has a cry that sounds similar to "buggaw, buggaw, Burgaw!" Burgaw Blue loves mealworms, soaked chow, and scratch grains. He also loves picking out insects and pests out of the garden.

Along with Burgaw Blue, we recieved two female Peafowl (also known as peacocks or peahens). This beautiful peahen is Snow White. She is free roaming and self declared queen of the sanctuary. She is alert and inquisitive and likes to inspect everything and everyone who comes to the sanctuary. She is unimpressed by Burgaw Blue but will flare her tail feathers at the ducks, pigeons, and squirrels. Hopefully, she knows she a peacock and is only being territorial. We don't want her to shake her tail feathers at the wrong male. 

Bella and Beau are swans, which are the largest members of the goose and duck family. A female swan is known as a pen and a male swan is known as a cob. They are also highly intelligent and have a great memory meaning that they can remember anyone who has been nice to them. Bella arrived in 2014 from Fayetteville, after she was found near a golf course and unable to walk. She had a fever from an infection. Even after her recovery, she still has trouble walking, she now lives a happy life free to roam around our duck pond. Beau came from Carolina Waterfowl in 2015 to be a friend and companion to Bella. He can be found by her side as her friend and protector and together they rule over the duck pond.