What are the opening hours?

Monday 9am - 5pm Tuesday 9am - 5pm Wednesday 9am - 5pm Thursday 9am - 5pm Friday 9am - 5pm Saturday 9am - 5pm Sunday 8am - 5pm

Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary

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Shipman, VA
Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary

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We help wild animals and their habitats thrive through a unique harmony of wildlife rehabilitation, public education, and community collaboration.

Join us in forging a more vibrant future for wildlife!
🦊🦉🐢🦝🐍🦨🐦🦇

https://linktr.ee/rockfishwildlife

10/21/2026

When the flying squirrel cuddle puddle is accidentally Baroque. 🎨🖼️⁣
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We have 13 orphaned Southern Flying Squirrel patients currently in care. 😲 They will all be overwintering with us at the Sanctuary! ❄️⁣
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In the wild, these little cuties are colonial during the winter. Dozens of flyers might hunker down together in a single tree cavity while awaiting warmer weather to return. 🥰 Our little colony will do the same in one of our outdoor flight enclosures! 💤⁣
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By the time these patients will be release-ready in the spring, we bet their stunning portrait seen here will have already made the rounds at the Musée du Louvre and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 👨‍🎨⁣ Caravaggio is shaking in his boots!
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10/16/2026

do 👏 not 👏 perceive 👏 me 👏⁣
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The three baby Eastern Screech-Owls we have cared for since May are finally nearing release! 🥳⁣🦉
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Before that exciting day, we make sure each owl displays the appropriate camouflaging behavior that they need to survive in the wild. 🫣 This patient’s doing an excellent job! Their ear tufts are held upwards to appear larger and more intimidating, and their eyes are closed which helps them blend in even better to the forest. ⁣🌳
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So, nothing to see here, folks. Just another chunk of tree bark! 👀🤣⁣
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10/12/2026

Yoohoo! 👋 Remember that teeny skunk patient we posted about a few weeks ago? Look at her now! ⬆️ ⁣
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Patient 26-737 was originally rescued after being found next to a deceased sibling. 😢 With no sightings of mom for over a week, she was presumed orphaned and brought to RWS. Swipe to see how small this cutie was when she first arrived for care! 🥹 ⁣
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Despite her rough start to life, 26-737 has blossomed at the Sanctuary. 🌷 She’s grown from needing formula-feedings throughout the day to living independently in an outdoor release-conditioning enclosure. 💪 Assuming she continues to reach critical developmental milestones, we look forward to releasing her within the next two weeks! 💕🦨⁣
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10/09/2026

We are so touched that the Sunday School students at Rockfish Presbyterian in Nellysford, Va chose RWS as their lemonade stand beneficiary! 🥹🍋

These hardworking youngsters managed to raise a whopping $277.30 from their lemonade stand this summer, which they kindly donated to RWS last month.

Thank you William, Fox, Ava, Avery, Eva, Elea, Charlie, Max, Phillip, and Kellan for your wonderful work and for choosing to help our wild neighbors! And thank you to all of the folks at Rockfish Presbyterian Church for continuing to support our work and encouraging kids to give back. ❤️

10/07/2026

Thank you for making Mountain View Magic so spellbinding! 🪄💕⁣
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We raised over $70,000 for our mission, thanks to every person who joined us at Eastwood Farm and Winery, donated online, bid in our silent auction, and sponsored our event. We cannot adequately express the magnitude of our gratitude! ⁣💜
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Thank you again to our generous vendors who made our evening so special. ⁣
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🍽️ Food: Botanical fare
💐 Florals: Horse and Hen (Brittany Barnett)
🪄 Entertainment: Joshua Thompson and Sealed In The Stars
💡 Tech Support: The AV Company
🤟 ASL Interpretation: Mosaic Interpreting Services
🎻 Music: Americana Cheese Product⁣
📸 Photography: Chime Studio
🍺 Drinks: Potter's Craft C***r and Starr Hill Brewery
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We hope you enjoyed our enchanting evening in support of the Sanctuary’s lifesaving work for native wildlife. It’s only possible thanks to you. 💕⁣
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We can’t wait for next year! (Theme ideas welcome. You know we love a theme. 😉)⁣
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10/02/2026

Our jam-packed auction closes TONIGHT! We have well over 100 incredible items, art pieces, and experiences to bid on. There’s something for everyone! 👏⁣
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Plus, every cent will go directly towards helping orphaned wildlife, like this charming opossum patient who has since been released.❤️🎉⁣
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Get those bids in before 9:30pm EST and treat yourself to something nice for a great cause! 🐾⁣
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10/01/2026

It’s International Raccoon Appreciation Day! ⁣
🦝💕 These masked critters are adaptable, hardworking animals that play essential ecological roles.⁣
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Throughout North and South America, species in the raccoon genus work hard to keep our ecosystems healthy! 💪 The raccoon, crab-eating raccoon, and Cozumel raccoon all help with seed dispersal, controlling prey populations, and cleaning up our planet through their thrifty scavenging. 🧹⁣
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Raccoons are intelligent and clean animals, largely using their sensitive hands and good noses to explore the world around them. Their famously adorable hand-washing behavior allows them to wake up the nerve endings in their fingers so they can better interpret what they’re holding! 🥹⁣
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Though raccoons are sometimes called “trash pandas,” we think the nickname is a little unfair. That reputation comes from their adaptability to human-altered environments, where unsecured garbage becomes tempting to an animal who is used to working hard for its food. It’s our responsibility as humans to do our part to keep wildlife wild! 🐾⁣
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09/30/2026

Nothing like a milk-drunk baby flying squirrel with a formula goatee. 🍼⁣
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Have you checked out our incredible silent auction yet? Just over 48 more hours til it closes! 👀🏃⁣
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Every dollar raised in our auction will go directly to orphaned wildlife patients like this charmer. Every second chance we can provide for wild animals is only possible thanks to you! 💕❤️⁣
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09/27/2026

Thanks to a generous donor, we’re giving away a few tickets to Mountain View Magic this Friday! 🪄🐾 To enter, simply: ⁣
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❤️ Like this post and make sure you follow RWS ⁣
🏷️ Tag the person you’d take with you in the comments⁣
📢 For an extra entry, share this post to your story⁣!⁣
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That’s all! We’ll draw and DM the winners on Tuesday morning. We can’t wait to celebrate with you! 💕⁣
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09/26/2026

the artist ➡️ the art ➡️ the artist again, in case you forgot ⁣
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Our ambassadors have been showing off their artistry skills this week! 🎨 We really think Linford’s masterpiece has so much to say about the contemporary moment. 🤔 ⁣
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You can bid on this lovely work of art, paired with a studio portrait of each ambassador, in our online auction! 🔗 We have 130 different art pieces and one-of-a-kind experiences for you to bid on. ⁣
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Address

5450 Wheelers Cove Road
Shipman, VA
22971

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm
Saturday	9am - 5pm
Sunday	8am - 5pm

Telephone

+14342634954

Website

http://www.rockfishwildlifesanctuary.org/

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