Wings of Hope Wildlife Sanctuary

Ranked #1,105 in Nonprofits, #251,319 overall

Rescuing an Injured Rabbit

We were referred to Wings of Hope Wildlife Sanctuary (located in southeastern Louisiana) after we found an injured young rabbit that had been hit by a car on a Sunday near St. Joseph's Abbey. We first thought that it was dead, but then Yvonne saw its leg move as we drove by, so I stopped, put on my flashers and we bundled him up in a towel and took him home with us. And so the adventure began...

Emergency Treatment

We were lucky to have a registered nurse and fellow animal lover with us who had experience caring for injured rabbits. Upon careful examination we found that its front left leg had been badly skinned and it was bleeding from the nose. It could not stand and it acted like it had a head injury.

We gave it a little water with an eye dropper and put it in a large cardboard box with the towel and some lettuce and carrots. The box was put in one of the out buildings that had good ventilation. We checked on it several times on Sunday. The next morning little Georgie (after the young injured rabbit in Lawson's, Rabbit Hill) was sitting up against the side of the box and he hopped around a little.

We were told that rabbits (especially wild ones) can be frightened to death, so we moved slowly and kept handling him to a minimum. We treated the skinned leg with antibiotic ointment and put a dish of water and some rabbit food and greens into the box. He seemed to get his balance back and by the end of the day he was standing on his own and was producing normal "rabbit pills".

Finding a Rehab Sanctuary

On Tuesday morning, though, its poop was not normal and it didn't appear to have eaten anything so we began to call the local rehab place. We found that their facility was full and we couldn't even leave a message, so we contacted Wings of Hope which was 45 miles away, near the town of Frost.

Leslie Lattimore, the director, said that she would take in the little rabbit so we bundled him into a smaller box and off we went to find the sanctuary. After making a couple of wrong turns, but getting to see a lot of beautiful scenary, we finally found Wings of Hope, not too far from Tickfaw State Park.

Leslie said that Little Georgie had a good chance of surviving. She explained that when she gets injured rabbits, she fills the cage with hay so that they can burrow into it and feel safe. Of course food and water is also placed in the cage and soon they usually begin to eat.


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Wild Otters Return print
Wild Otters Return by naturegirl7



The sanctuary walls are covered with photos of various rehabilitated animals, which Leslie periodically releases in Tickfaw State Park. She had rescued and raised two orphaned river otters, before releasing them two years ago, into the Tickfaw river, one mile from her place. Just like in the wild, once the young leave home, they periodically return to visit their mom. Luckily, the otters picked the day we brought in the rabbit, to stop by to say hello to "mom". So, as Leslie walked us out, just outside the sanctuary door, we were surprised to find her two visitors, whom she hadn't seen in months.

Getting to meet and interact with "Rosie", the female River Otter, was just another reward for our rabbit rescue.

Rehabilitating and Educating

Wings of Hope has been busy recently. Besides rehabilitating the injured cottontail rabbit that we found, Leslie and her volunteers have rehabbed and released four barred owls into Tickfaw State Park. The release was in conjunction with a night walking tour conducted by the Tickfaw Nature Center staff. Wings of Hope has also conducted many educational sessions in local schools and libraries.

The following photos of animals in our habitat show the types of animals that are routinely rehabilitated at Wings of Hope.



Raccoon Rascals Poster print Striped Skunk Postcard postcard Fawn Peeks Postcard postcard Red-shouldered Hawk Poster print Screech Owl Postcard postcard Ruby-throated Hummingbird After Chase print

Upcoming Events and Contact Info

5th Annual Open House
Early December of each year. Check the Wings of Hope website for the exact date.
Tour of the facility and Silent auction of donated items.

Contact Information
Wings of Hope Wildlife Sanctuary
Leslie Lattimore, Director
1-225-698-3168
1-225-698-6099

A percentage of the proceeds from this lens will be donated to Wings of Hope Wildlife Sanctuary.

Wings of Hope is a 501c3 non-profit organization which operates on donations from concerned citizens. If you'd like to donate to or join this wonderful organization please visit the Wings of Hope website.


Healers of the Wild

Healers of the Wild: Rehabilitating Injured and Orphaned Wildlife

Amazon Price: $154.05 (as of 02/16/2012)Buy Now

Wings of Hope Animals on CafePress

Wings of Hope Logo on CafePress

Helping Orphaned or Injured Birds

Workman Publishing Helping Orphaned or Injured Birds

Amazon Price: $6.99 (as of 02/16/2012)Buy Now

Baby Animals Flickr Photos

Baby Birds

IMG_2366 by abbybatchelder
IMG_2362 by abbybatchelder
IMG_1945 by abbybatchelder
IMG_1938 by abbybatchelder
at home without parents by awaqas1
Baby Birds in Nest by slgckgc
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Rescuing Wildlife

Rescuing Wildlife: A Guide to Helping Injured & Orphaned Animals

Amazon Price: $8.48 (as of 02/16/2012)Buy Now

Helping Injured or Orphaned Wildlife on Amazon

In Good Hands: Behind the Scenes at a Center for Orphaned and Injured Birds by Stephen R Swinburne

In Good Hands: Behind the Scenes at a Center for Orphaned and Injured Birds by Stephen R Swinburne

From a review by BOOKLIST: "Childen get a pee more...0 points

Saving Earth's Animals

Saving Earth's Animals

There are a huge number of living species on Earth more...0 points

Wildlife Rehab Video

This was not taken at Wings of Hope Sanctuary, but shows the work that is done at a rehab Center Sanctuary.
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Tell us about your rescued animals or just leave a note.

Check out this great poster that Wings of Hope is selling. Just click on it to see how to purchase it.


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Wings of Hope Blog Posts

Smiley Anders for Feb. 15, 2012
Janie Labauve says Wings of Hope Wildlife Sanctuary in Livingston needs volunteers to work a few hours a week helping to care for the orphaned or injured birds, squirrels, raccoons, etc., that are overflowing the sanctuary. She says, ?Learn about us ...

About Rio1

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rio1

My wife and I have a 9 acre backyard habitat in southeastern Louisiana. We have 2 dogs and 3 cats that were all rescued. We also have two 20+ year ol... more »

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Milk Formula for Puppies 

EsbilacĀ® Powder Milk Replacer for Puppies & Dogs 12oz

Amazon Price: $12.95 (as of 02/16/2012)Buy Now

Wings of Hope needs many things, like baby animal milk formula. Check the Wings of Hope Website for the complete list.