Wildwood Zoo Welcomes New Falcon

Monday, October 24th, 2022 -- 8:01 AM

Wildwood Park and Zoo is excited to announce the newest addition.

On September 27th, they welcomed “Amelia”, a nine-year-old Peregrine falcon to the zoo. She remained off-exhibit for her first few weeks to acclimate to her new caretakers. Amelia, like all the birds at the zoo, was injured in the wild and determined to be non-releasable due to the extent of her injuries.

Unfortunately, she was hit by a car on Madeline Island as a juvenile and her left wing needed to be amputated in order to save her life. She has been living at Wild Instincts, a wildlife rehabilitation center in Rhinelander, since 2013.

While there, she taught thousands of visitors about her species and zoo staff feels confident that she will continue to educate and fascinate visitors here at Wildwood Park and Zoo. The name "peregrine" means wanderer, making it very fitting for Amelia to be named after Amelia Earhart.

Earhart was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean and was a true pioneer in aviation. Falcons are incredible flyers and may move over 15,000 miles during their annual migration.

They would like to thank the Wild Instincts for entrusting Amelia to their care and assisting in her transfer. If you would like to keep up-to-date with the Wildwood Zoo news, be sure to check the Wildwood Park and Zoo Facebook page and the City website.

In addition to keeping up with the animals, you can learn more about the special events, new exhibits and other happenings. As always, the staff and volunteers at Wildwood Zoo thank you for your past and future support and patronage.

Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.