Around 70 wildlife critters rescued after storms

AUSTIN (KXAN)– Austin Wildlife Rescue said it has rescued around 70 animals following the deadly Independence Day flash flooding around Central Texas.

Austin Wildlife Rescue (AWR) said this time of year is “baby season” for many of our wildlife critters, the major storms most impacted those that create nests or dens on the ground.

“While wildlife is adapted to handle life out in the wild, unprecedented or unusual weather impacts our native wildlife very much,” AWR said in a Facebook post on Thursday, July 6.

The rescue team said it received many baby skunks, baby rabbits, and baby opossums that arrived with scrapes, bumps, bruises, and fractured legs.

The team also helped a Waterlogged Killdeer that they said arrived extremely exhausted and relatively unharmed. After drying off all day in an incubator, the killdeer fluffed back up to health.

AWR said critters up in trees are experiencing some trouble, the heavy rain is knocking squirrels out of trees and birds out of nests.

The rise of water levels in lakes, creeks, rivers, and dams is also causing some confusion amongst aquatic species. AWR said it rescued a large, unhappy snapping turtle with an injured eye and a limp on its back leg. X-rays showed no fractures, and the turtle is resting comfortably in a safe space.

The AWR team said they are continuing efforts to rescue as many injured or displaced wildlife critters and need help from the community to do so. “If you’re not sure if a wild animal needs help or not, please give us a call, and our staff will be happy to help,” AWR said.

The number to reach the rescue team is (512)-472-9453.