Meet Our Residents
Our mission at Humane Indiana Wildlife & Rehabilitation Center is to rehabilitate wildlife and release them back to their natural environment, once they’re healthy and are capable of surviving on their own. In some cases, however, due to injuries sustained before they were brought to us, it would not be safe to release them to fend for themselves. Fortunately for HIW, some animals remain in our care and become wildlife ambassadors. They help us provide wildlife education through our wildlife talks in our community, throughout the state, and during our kids camps.
Sponsor a Wildlife Animal
You can sponsor our Animal Ambassadors by making a gift through our Animal Ambassador Sponsorship Program. For more information or to sponsor an animal ambassador, please contact Nicole Harmon, Senior Director of Humane Indiana Wildlife Rehabilitation & Education Center via email at wildlife@humaneindiana.org or call 219.299.8027.
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?
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?
Want to Visit?
Wildlife Education Programs
Humane Indiana’s Wildlife Education Programs inspire awareness and respect for the wildlife native to Indiana. Through engaging presentations, we share valuable information on how our communities can safely and responsibly coexist with wildlife. We also offer domestic pet programs to teach children the importance of responsible pet ownership.
Animal Ambassador Programs
Our Animal Ambassador Programs offer a unique, family-friendly way to connect with wildlife. Guests can meet our animal ambassadors—permanent residents that were rescued and rehabilitated but cannot survive in the wild. While our ultimate goal is always release, these special animals now help us teach the community about conservation and coexistence.
All proceeds from our programs directly support the wildlife in our care.
schedule your Meet-and-Greet
It’s not every day you get to meet a turkey vulture or snowy owl! At our Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center, you can experience two engaging programs each day, Monday through Saturday (no programs on Sunday):
Animal Ambassador Meet-and-Greet
Duration: 20–30 minutes
$35 per person
Maximum 10 participants
Meet one of our animal ambassadors and talk with our wildlife staff in a relaxed, informal setting. Each session features a different ambassador, making every visit a unique experience.
Wildlife Enclosure Tour
Duration: 45 minutes to 1 hour
$35 per person
Maximum 20 participants
Take a guided walk through the ambassador enclosures, learn their individual stories, discover their personalities, and see how our staff trains and enriches their lives to keep them healthy and happy.
Reservations are required. Call 219-299-8027 or email education@humaneindiana.org to book your program.