There once were a brother and sister woodchuck who were orphaned when their mother was killed defending them from a dog. Scared, but very hungry, they ventured out of their home burrow and were found by a kind woman, who brought them to Fellow Mortals so that they would have a chance to grow up in a safe place. Brother and sister were afraid of everything at first – the humans, their new home, the bedding in their new home, the syringe, the formula – you name it! But they soon understood they were safe in this new place and, over summer, grew up strong and as big as their mother could have hoped. Brother, bored with captivity, broke free one day and set off to find his own burrow. Sister, shyer, followed him awhile, but found a suitable spot for a burrow close to home where she could be free but still safe. After a long winter's sleep, she woke up and decided to find out if the “restaurant” served former patients after they were discharged. Happily, it did, and so bananas continue to be part of her daily diet!

Sara Armfield holds a newly admitted Great Horned Owl “brancher”. Starving and dehydrated, the young bird was given fluids by stomach tube until it could be weaned onto a diet of filet mignon and, finally, whole mice.	Nestling Screech Owls, satisfied after a vitamin-fortified meal of mouse.
Families don't come “ready-made” but are built on common interest and need. This gosling and cygnet (baby swan) found warmth and companionship in each other when their own siblings were lost.	Canada Goose gosling admitted unable to stand due to a hook and fishing line which tied his legs together. Both he and his sibling are “big birds” now, and have been released to the wild. Some of the most preventable injuries are caused by improperly discarded fishing line and hooks. Many birds and small mammals lose limbs and life due to human carelessness.
“Christy,” the tiniest fawn ever admitted to Fellow Mortals, weighed just 3 pounds when she came to us for care.	This female Fox Squirrel was found by Dr. Phil Molitor, Molitor Pet & Bird Clinic, Burlington, Wisconsin. At admit, she had a fractured sinus and severe head trauma requiring careful hand-feeding, antibiotics and a warm incubator for the first few weeks. Recovered nicely by spring, she was released onto Dr. Molitor's property near where she was found, but with the added wealth of a spacious new house, courtesy of Jeff Muffick, who builds a lot of our “outpatient” housing.