ARK provides educational programs and presentations to help the public understand and coexist with native Virginia wildlife.  ARK educators can teach you the behavior and habitats of the animals in your area.  All proceeds go to the rehabilitation of native Virginia wildlife.

Meet some of our ambassadors who at times attend our programs.

BoNita the American Kestrel - BoNita is Ark's female kestrel.  Not really a hawk, although it is often called a sparrow hawk, she is a falcon.  She came to ARK as a small baby and has a deformed foot which keeps her from landing properly or catching food.  She is very smart and enjoys looking out the window.  She is also called a bird of prey or a raptor.  She loves to have a bath when you spray her off with a water bottle.  She enjoys eating meal worms as a treat; BoNita is now 3 years old.
Bobby & Bobbiet Bobwhite - Bobby our male bobwhite or quail has a black head. Bobbiet our female has the brown head.  Bobby came to ARK when he was found in a parking lot, his wings had been clipped so he could not fly or avoid predators.  Bobbiet came to ARK when she was a baby following people around their yard all alone; they thought she was a baby turkey.  Bobby and Bobbiet are a couple mating for life; they want to be together at all times.  They enjoy eating bird seed, apple, pear, and orange.  They also eat dry oatmeal and spinach.  In the summer they will eat all the mosquitoes they can catch, and also eat bugs and ants.  Bobby is t he vocal one making the Bob-white call.
Brutus Opossum - Brutus came to ARK as a baby the size of your finger.  His mother had somehow eaten poison.  His mother and three siblings died immediately, but luckily Brutus survived.  He now enjoys eating chicken, grapes, apples, and mostly dry dog or cat food.  He also likes yogurt which has a lot of calcium in it which is very good for him.  Brutus sleeps all day and gets up around dusk; he sleeps in a child's sleeping bag and likes to stay warm. Opossums are not on the rabies list in Virginia, but you do not want to get bit since they have 52 teeth.  They are often called a living fossil since they were here with the dinosaurs.  Unfortunately, opossums only live about two years.  They are the only marsupial in the United States which means they have a pouch for carrying babies.
Chester the Screech Owl(Gray phase) - Chester arrived at Ark as a small fluffy baby when the tree he lived in was cut down.  Chester is imprinted and doesn't have the skills to survive in the wild.  He only weighs 6 ounces.  Chester is very very vocal at night making several different sounds.  He is very photogenic and has even been on TV.  Most people think Chester is a baby because he is small, but he is 3 years old.
Dixie the Southern Flying Squirrel - This adorable little girl was found all alone at the bottom of a tree early one rainy morning.  Her rescuer took her in and raised her without other flying squirrels.  She is now too tame to be released and has joined our education team as one of our ambassadors.  She also loves to eat those pecans.Flying squirrels live in colonies and depend on each other to stay alive and warm in the winter.  Dixie’s lack of squirrel “social skills” make it very unlikely that she would survive in the wild.
Grace the Barred Owl - It was late Halloween night when Grace was brought to ARK.  She was hit by a truck and later found under the truck hood.  By the time she came to ARK she had lost a lot of weight and was emaciated.  Her wing was broken in five places and she had a severe eye injury.  Even though she went through a lot of rehab, the wing did not heal well enough for her to be released.  She is now healthy and makes a good ambassador for ARK.  Barred owls eat small rodents and snakes.
Toby the Box Turtle – A good Samaritan rescued Toby when he was only the size of a nickel from the beak of a crow  The story was, the crow was pecking at his shell and tossing him around the yard.  She raised him to the size he is now and donated Toby to ARK for use in our educational programs because he could  not be released back into the wild.
Mikey the Red-Tail Hawk - He was found in someone's yard near their pool.  When arriving at the rehabilitator's home, he was very thin and unafraid of people.  It is thought that someone raised and released him.  Because he was raised by people, he is imprinted and not prepared to survive in the wild.  Red Tails are the most common hawk in North America, and often can be seen perched on utility poles looking for potential prey.   Amber the Great Horned Owl - This pretty girl game into rehab as a two week old baby in February 2008.  She was placed with two other baby owls, but would not eat.  She began to lose weight and her eyes looked clouded.  Amber was taken to Dr. Larrick our vet where he confirmed she was blind.  Because she would not be able to find food on her own made her non-releasable.  Amber has now joined our Education Zone as one of our ambassadors. Edgar the American Crow -  As an adult, this crow came to rehab with a  shattered left wing.  It was assumed he was hit by a car.  During his physical exam, he was more curious of humans than being afraid and very calm while handling him.  Since he could no longer fly due to the severity of the injury to his wing, he was placed with one of our educators to be used as an ambassador for ARK.  Edgar appears to enjoy his new lifestyle and is a big hit with the crowd. Zippy the Eastern Gray Squirrel - He was raised by a couple who wanted a pet squirrel.   Zippy developed Metabolic Bone Disease as a result of a lack of calcium and other nutrients needed for his diet.  The couple brought him to one of ARK’s rehabilitators for help.   Zippy is permanently crippled and considered non-releasable, but he is able to walk, run, play, and enjoy life.  His “laid-back” personality and unusual affinity for people makes him an ideal educational ambassador. Goliath the Snapping Turtle - This young snapper came to ARK in June when he was rescued from a hot asphalt driveway.   He was very dry and the size of a quarter, he was so dark in color you could hardly see his eyes or mouth.  We believe a bird had picked him up and dropped him.  He was very dehydrated.  Goliath is a big hit with our education programs. It is a thrill to see a snapping turtle up close.  They have a shell like a dinosaur, long tail and a very long neck. He lives in water but crawls on rocks to bask in the sun.  Goliath eats turtle food, vegetables, meal worms and crickets. Lucy is a female Virginia Opossum whose mother was killed by a car.  A kind man found her and four brothers alive, and brought them to us for rehabilitation.  Lucy’s brothers were released into the wild, but Lucy likes being with people too much.  She is exceptionally sweet and docile. Oscar, a young male Virginia Opossum, came to ARK after being raised with two sisters at the Wildlife Center of Virginia.  All three of the sibling were too attached to people to make it in the wild, even though they received minimal handling while being raised.  The sisters remain in the WCV’s education program, and Oscar came to us as a new educational ambassador. Owlbert a male Great Horned Owl who came into rehab with a broken coracoid bone.  (Mammals do not have this bone – it makes it possible for birds to fly.)  He was found on a man’s deck being attacked by several blue jays.  We don’t know how Owlbert’s injury occurred, but it left him unable to fly so he is now  part of our education team.  The most enjoyable thing about working with Owlbert is his many different facial expressions. Hershey is a young male Barred Owl who was caught up in a combine on a farm in Powhatan.  Surprisingly, his only injury was joint damage in his right wing, but it was enough to make it impossible for him to fly well enough to live in the wild.

Thank you for your support !