The Northern Neck has lost its only wildlife rehabilitator & wildlife rescue facility, I’ve been searching for information, and all I can find is a post on the Wild Bunch Wildlife Rehab Facebook page. I have copied and pasted that announcement below, which was posted on February 1, 2021.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

2020 was a very difficult year for Wild Bunch. In April, Dennis O’Connor passed away after a very brief illness. He was not only the husband of our refuge director, Diana O'Connor, but a vital member of our board. This left Diana to manage more of the refuge on her own. Diana herself had a serious injury late last summer and unfortunately, was not able to continue to take in animals for rehabilitation. There were and still are some educational animals and long-term residents that are being cared for by a wonderful helper. As we begin 2021, we have had to make the difficult decision to discontinue the work of Wild Bunch. Health issues make it impossible for our refuge director, Diana to rehabilitate animals any longer. As much as we have hoped someone could take her place that is not possible. Our sincerest thanks to all of you for believing in Wild Bunch. We are truly proud of all the things we have accomplished over the years. Thank you so much for your generous donations and support of Wild Bunch over the years. Your contributions made it possible for Wild Bunch to care for the many animals that came to us for care. Please rest assured that any remaining funds that Wild Bunch has will be donated to other deserving wildlife non-profits. (end of Facebook post)

Diana was highly dedicated to her art, and it was truly an art form: tube feeding baby animals, timing all the feedings of baby animals and birds, rehabbing raptors, getting fish for osprey…. it’s not easy. A few of us have volunteered for her in many ways, allowing her a little extra time to tend to the animals. She will be greatly missed by the entire wildlife rehabilitation community.

If you have a wildlife emergency, the first step is to check the website of DWF for the nearest rehabber. Unfortunately, most are at least an hour away from any part of the Northern Neck. Another very helpful resource is the Wildlife Center of Virginia in Waynesboro. For a summary, visit the Bird Rescue page on this website.