Gonzo came to FWH as a fledgling with a broken wing in 2003. Unfortunately, the break left him permanently unable to fly. Gonzo was an amazing ambassador but in the past few years, he has been enjoying the retired life. However, Gonzo still helps staff care for and raise all of the baby screech owls that are admitted.

Corey was found with his 4 siblings in a buildling being demolished. It was noticed that Corey was missing his right wing, most likely a birth defect, and would never be able to be released. After his 4 siblings were released, Corey came to FWH in 2011 as a permant resident and is a wonderful ambassador for his species.

Wink was admitted as an adult to the Avian Reconditioning Center in 2020 for a severe eye injury. Unfortunately, the eye needed to be removed leaving him as a non-releasable patient. His personality made him an ideal candidate for life as an ambassador. Wink came to FWH in 2021 and now attends programs to show the public all the wonders of owls.

Archer joined our education team in December of 2022. He was admitted to Nature’s Nanny Wildlife Rehabilitation (Chesapeake, VA) emaciated and with head trauma. Unfortunately, Archer has a detached retina and is completely blind in his right eye and so is unable to be released into the wild.

Quinn is our newest ambassador, arriving back in 2015 with a foot injury he received while still in the nest. This injury left him without 3 of his toes on one foot. Since RSH’s use their feet to hunt, he would have never successfully been able to survive on his own.

Takoda is the hospital’s first mammal educational animal. Someone brought him in after he ran onto them.  We don’t know how, but Takoda was habituated to people, so he is unable to be released. Given his very friendly personality, his name is a perfect fit; Takoda means “friend to everyone.”

Trinity was brought in as a patient, but after examination it was clear that she was a pet that was either dumped or lost. While three-toed box turtles can be found in Florida, they are much farther north and are not native to Brevard County. She helps educate the public on the difference between native and non-native animals and the damage releasing pets into the wild does to the ecosystem.

Carolina was taken from the wild when she was just a baby and was kept as a pet for five years. Unfamiliar with her species, Carolina was improperly housed and fed causing her to have developmental abnormalities. Her shell never properly formed, due to being kept in water, leaving her unable to survive in the wild. Box turtles are a land species and only go into water for drinking or cooling off. Carolina has been with FWH since 2010.

Lt. Dan was brought to FWH in 2010 by FL Fish and Wildlife after being found in a house where the tenants had just been evicted. One of his front legs had been amputated and healed, so it is unknown how he received the injury. Gopher Tortoises are a protected species and must be able to dig burrows to be able to be released.

Batman was admitted to FWH as a patient in 2020. Sadly, for an unknown reason, his front left limb was completely crushed. The limb had to be amputated, leaving him non-releasable. Staff affectionately nicknamed him Batman due to the unique marking on his front top scute.

Sriracha is one of our newest animal ambassadors. After sadly losing our last red rat snake, Copper, to cancer in 2020, Sriracha has helped fill a huge loss. She is very calm and makes for a wonderful ambassador. Still a baby, we are excited to watch her grow and help educate thousands of people!

Dijon is the facility’s first yellow rat snake animal ambassador. He is the “spiciest” of the ambassadors, but does a great job educating the public about the benefits of snakes. It is also wonderful to show the physical differences between he and Sriracha and the personality differences between the two species.

Blossum became an ambassador in 2024. She was admitted as a patient and we suspect that a predator is responsible for her tail amputation. Opossums use their prehensile tails for balance and to hold on to branches since they like to climb trees. Since she is missing most of her tail, she is unable to be released and instead is joining our education team.