Meet Our Residents

Owlfred

Owlfred came to HIW in Dec 2017 after being struck by a moving vehicle in Whiting, IN. After being found in the evening, a community member called Whiting Animal Control, who went out and picked up Owlfred until the morning when HIW could assist. Owlfred was first transported to the Estelle Marcus Animal Clinic in Munster for evaluation and to be stabilized before he was transferred out to HIW in Valparaiso. HIW then transported Owlfred to Southlane Animal Hospital where veterinary staff amputated the lower part of his left wing. In July of 2018 Owlfred was placed on an education permit and began accompanying staff to programs in October of that year.

Owlfred is currently not sponsored: Would you like to sponsor Owlfred?

Phoenix

Phoenix was admitted to HIW in 2016 after being transferred from another rehabilitator in South Bend, IN. Phoenix was originally believed to be hit by a vehicle but exams showed no physical trauma, but developmental issues with her feather growth. Phoenix remained in rehabilitative care for 2 years and those feathers never grew into full length, making her unable to fly. Phoenix became an official ambassador for HIW in Nov of 2016.

Phoenix is currently not sponsored: Would you like to sponsor Phoenix?

Arlene

Meet Screech Owl "Arlene," one of Humane Indiana's animal ambassadors. Arlene was rescued in November 2017 by a HIW volunteer who found her in the road, after being struck by a vehicle in Crown Point. An eye exam indicated that she suffered retinal detachment and was not able to see from that eye. Due to the severity of her eye injury she could not return back to the wild. Arlene is both a surrogate parent to orphaned Eastern Screech Owls as well as an Humane Indiana education ambassador that accompanies staff to programs throughout NWI.

Arlene is currently not sponsored: Would you like to sponsor Arlene?

Errol

Errol was admitted to HIW in April 2018 with an injury to her wing after falling from her nest in South Bend at 2 weeks of age. Due to permanent damage from her broken wing, Errol is unable to fly well enough to be a successful adult. Errol became an education ambassador in August 2018 and is a surrogate parent for orphaned Great Horned Owls that come into the center each year.

Errol is currently not sponsored: Would you like to sponsor Errol?

Pomona

Pomona was admitted to HIW in June of 2019 after being found on the roof of the County City building in South Bend, IN. Having hatched in early May 2019, Pomona became injured while she was still learning to fly. Even though this building is where her nest is located, she was found on one of the lower balconies with ruptured air sacs, a broken coracoid, a broken clavicle, and a fractured keel. While she healed from these injuries, her overall body shape was distorted due to the impact of hitting the side of the building. As a result, she is not a strong flyer, nor is she able to dive at the speed necessary to catch birds midflight. Pomona became an education ambassador in early 2020.

Pomona is currently not sponsored: Would you like to sponsor Pomona?

Jasper

Jasper was found as a baby in Rensselaer, Indiana, after being grabbed from his nest by another bird of prey. Though he survived the attack, the injury affected the side of his face and his vision, leaving him unable to return to the wild. Jasper made a full recovery at Humane Indiana Wildlife but, due to his impaired vision, he will stay with us as a permanent resident. He now serves as an ambassador, helping to educate visitors about wildlife conservation and the challenges birds of prey face in the wild.

Jasper currently not sponsored: Would you like to sponsor Cinna?

Bandicoot

Bandicoot came to Humane Indiana after spending nearly two years at a rehabilitation facility in Indianapolis where he was an education ambassador. Bandicoot had originally been confiscated from a community member local to Indianapolis after they had found him, as a kit, while out walking and kidnapped him with the intention to keep him as a pet. Confiscated by the DNR, Bandicoot was transferred to a rehabilitator where he was distanced from staff in the hopes that he would become more wild, however, it did not work. Bandicoot then became an education ambassador for his species and was transferred to HIW in late 2016.

Bandicoot is currently not sponsored: Would you like to sponsor Bandicoot?

Freya

Freya is a Great Horned Owl chick that hatched in the spring of 2023 and come to us all the way from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. After falling from her nest, she sustained an injury to her right eye that left her with permanent vision impairment. Due to her eye injury and young age, she was deemed non-releasable. Freya was transferred to our Wildlife Center in September of 2023 and almost immediately began accompanying staff on programs in the community.

Freya is currently not sponsored: Would you like to sponsor Freya?

Carrot

Carrot came to HIW in late 2016 after being an education ambassador for a rehabilitation center in Indianapolis for a number of years. Initially admitted to rehab after being hit by a vehicle, damage to Carrots shell rendered him unable to be released back to the wild.

Carrot is currently not sponsored: Would you like to sponsor Carrot?

Oscar

Oscar came to Humane Indiana Wildlife in the fall of 2021 after being confiscated from a home in Northwest Indiana by Indiana DNR. Oscar’s previous owners were unable to prove that Oscar was a captive-bred skunk, and not one taken from the wild, and as a result were not allowed to keep him.

Oscar is currently not sponsored: Would you like to sponsor Oscar?

Casper

Casper is a captive-bred Barn Owl that joined the HI Wildlife ambassador team in June of 2022. Casper originally came from a facility in West Virginia that hatches Barn Owls for education programming and to help bolster wild populations. Casper hatched in September of 2023, after being dual raised by her parents and humans, she came to HIW. Casper is an excellent representation of her species, which is endangered in the state of Indiana.

Casper is currently not sponsored: Would you like to sponsor Casper?

Dougal and Arya

Dougal and Arya are Barred Owl siblings that were admitted to the rehabilitation center as very young chicks in 2021. After their nesting tree had fallen, the well-meaning property owner had found the chicks and cared for them for over a week before bringing them to the rehabilitation center. Unfortunately, during that time, they imprinted on humans and are now too friendly to be returned to the wild. Dougal and Arya became wildlife ambassadors in fall of 2021.

Dougal and Arya are currently not sponsored: Would you like to sponsor Dougal and Arya?

Karen

In the fall of 2022 Humane Indiana Wildlife admitted a Wood Duck that had been raised by the public. The duck was not initially friendly with staff, but our team was able to release it with several other wood ducks raised at our facility. Within 3 days the release site property owners let us know that one of the wood ducks was following people on trails and even going into nearby neighborhoods. Once back to the rehabilitation center, we spent some time with the duck, and despite her sassy attitude, we found she was certainly not afraid of people. The wood duck's attitude earned it the name Karen. After several months in our care, we were in for a surprise when Karen the wood duck molted to reveal it was actually a male! Karen now lives at our Wildlife Center permanently and enjoys meeting people that come here for programs.

Karen is currently not sponsored: Would you like to sponsor Karen?

Ozzie

Ozzie is a non-releasable Turkey Vulture who came from our friends at Wildcat Creek Wildlife Center in Delphi, Indiana, after being found on the ground near a nursing home as a young bird. There, he was placed with other young, orphaned vultures until they were ready for release in the fall of 2021. After release, all the other young vultures left the area except for Ozzie, who sought out attention from the center's staff. Clearly, Ozzie was too interested in people for his own good. Their team was able to get him back into an enclosure without much difficulty and they contacted our team to see if we would be interested in Ozzie joining our ambassador team. Upon arrival at our facility, Ozzie was also diagnosed with West Nile, a disease that he likely had as a youngster that impacted his feather health and development. Ozzie is one of our most social and interactive ambassadors that can be seen on our property. While not ready to go out to programs quite yet, he is able to be viewed daily.

Ozzie is currently not sponsored: Would you like to sponsor Ozzie?

Loki

Loki came to us in December 2022 when the owner surrendered this domestically bred Red Fox. At 10 months old, Loki was very playful and nippy, exactly how a young fox should act. His previous owners were not able to provide him with all the attention he needed and initially surrendered him to their local vet clinic. Our team agreed to provide him with the care he needed and determine if he was a good fit as a companion for our current education fox, Bandicoot. Loki did very well adjusting to life at the Rehabilitation Center and loved interacting with our staff. After roughly 2 months in our care, Bandicoot and Loki were introduced to one another and now share an enclosure!

Loki is currently not sponsored: Would you like to sponsor Loki?

Artemis

Artemis was admitted in July 2022 after being found on the runway at the South Bend Airport. While she had no broken bones or obvious injuries to her body, she is missing 90% of the feathers on her right wing! Unfortunately, Artemis is not able to tell us what happened to her that left her in this condition, but our staff believes it was an interaction with machinery of some sort. Due to the condition of her wing, and the way the feathers were pulled from the follicles, new feathers will never be able to grow back, and she won't be able to fly again. Artemis would never be able to survive in the wild. She is a fantastic ambassador for her species and accompanies staff on programs all throughout NW Indiana.

Artemis is currently not sponsored: Would you like to sponsor Artemis?

Apollo

Apollo, an American Kestrel, was admitted to Humane Indiana Wildlife in 2022 from the Cleveland Cliffs location in Burns Harbor. As a newly fledged bird, learning to fly, he was discovered on the ground with an overgrown beak that had locked in the closed position. Unable to feed, he began to starve. Due to a genetic defect, Apollos beak is malformed and needs continued trimming so he can eat. He has been an ambassador with our facility since November, 2022.

Apollo is currently not sponsored: Would you like to sponsor Apollo?

Shadow

Shadow was brought to Humane Indiana Wildlife two days after Thanksgiving in 2022. Found as an orphan in TN that spring, she was raised as a pet and brought to Indiana. Realizing they needed permits to keep her, Shadow’s former family surrendered Shadow to our care. Shadow now accompanies staff to programs all throughout northern Indiana.

Shadow is currently not sponsored: Would you like to sponsor Shadow?

Female Eastern Box Turtles

Our female Eastern Box Turtles were admitted to the rehab center after being struck by moving vehicles. While you won’t find them out on programs, these two can be found as permanent residents at our education center.

Painted Turtle

Our first ambassador, this Painted Turtle was admitted after being struck by a vehicle. Upon trying to release her, we discovered that her pond had been filled in to make way for a new subdivision.

Yellow Bellied Sliders

Not native to the state of Indiana, these male and female Yellow Bellied Sliders are the perfect ambassadors for taking out to our domestics education program and discussing the unique care reptile species need.

Eastern Box Turtles

These two Box Turtles were found in boxes at O’Hare Airport in 2021 after being detected by a wildlife detecting dog. Not only did that dog detect these turtles, but 275 others as well! Because it is not known where in the United States these turtles came from, they all had to be placed in captive settings. Humane Indiana Wildlife welcomed a male and female turtle from those rescued.