This Week at Liberty
October 7, 2025
Hoots, Howls, and Hollers
Megan Mosby
Executive Director
Mammals on My Mind
Amazingly and all of the sudden, we are just weeks away from our biggest fundraising dinner event of the year, Wishes for Wildlife. And this year’s theme is Mammals in the Moonlight. On Saturday, the first of November, we will be introducing the public to our mammal ambassadors who will be moved into their new fancy digs on display, at last, along the Education Trail.
Groot the coatimundi, Bobby the bobcat, and Benji the raccoon will make their debut appearances that night. What’s more, is that members of Liberty Wildlife and purchasers of tables will be invited to the pre-party starting at 4:30pm for live music, passed hors d’oeuvres, a preview of the silent auction, and more…
And there is still time to donate an item to the silent auction. Don’t hesitate to make an effort to add to the coffers (auction deadline is October 12th!). This event is critical to maintaining the quality and quantity of the work we do here.
Our stellar hospital and medical assistance is beyond compare. If you need assistance with your wildlife neighbors, we are your “go to” people. If you are looking for up close and personal experiences with native wildlife, it doesn’t get much better than our education trail, with our education interpreters and handlers. Our programming and overall experiences are fun and informational. We don’t stop with helping out our wildlife in need, or extending educational experiences for “students” of all ages, but we also work towards helping the Native Americans in their quest to preserve precious cultures by providing protected feathers and parts necessary for regalia and cultural practices. Being a legal source for these items, free of charge, is a huge commitment to our community.
Lest we forget, there will be animal ambassadors out to greet guests on November 1st. The City of Phoenix Park Rangers will also be here with their night sky telescope and screen exploring the “mammal” constellations in our night sky. And a mammal expert from Arizona Game and Fish (and long-time Liberty Wildlife volunteer), Holly Hicks will be offering scheduled talks introducing each of the new animals on display.
But, saving the best for last will be the guest appearance of Dr. Brooke Bessesen, our honoree for the evening. Brooke is a talented naturalist, author, and advocate for conservation and wildlife. And, a very cool person! She has been eye-to-eye with humpback whales and surrounded by free-flying California condors. She has hand-raised a baby wallaby. Rehabbed a rattlesnake. Trained a tiger. And photo-identified dozens of wild bottlenose dolphins. Engaging in work with endangered species and their causes are challenges she doesn’t shy from. In other words, she has lived a charmed life benefitting the natural world and for this we all owe her a debt of gratitude. Come and give her your heartfelt gratitude in person. You won’t regret it!
I look forward to seeing all of you here for this truly unique and fun event…all to provide you with a glorious evening under the stars, benefitting wildlife and nature.
This Week @ Liberty
The intake total for the year is now up to 8550.
It’s usually about this time of year that begins the flyby; it’s October, but soon it’ll be all the holidays somehow rolled into one day, because they all happen so quickly.
It’s kind of what it feels like here at Liberty Wildlife sometimes. We finished a stellar, busy year in the hospital, which means now that it’s quiet over there, the education side gets to have its say. On-site field trips are well on their way, and plenty of booths and off-site programs are well on the schedule. We also have three weddings (wow!) on-site for the rest of the year with their own education programs happening (talk about a unique day!). If you are interested in having an event here, find out more here! Also coming up are Wishes for Wildlife, our big annual dinner fundraiser and auction, and our Native Americans and Wildlife Celebration, there’s plenty of things happening here for the rest of the year.
Here’s to seeing you at one of them!
By: Acacia Parker | Public Outreach Coordinator
Well, Hello There!
Working in the hospital here at Liberty Wildlife means we see a lot of pigeons, doves, great horned owls, red-tailed hawks (you get the picture). And they are all awesome to see. But every once in a while we get in a less common animal that we don’t see super often, and this week, that winner is a western yellow bat!
Hailing from the southwestern United States (California, Arizona, and Texas), these little bats also make their home down into Central America and Baja California. They enjoy riparian woodlands, deserts, as well as tropical forests where their yellow fur helps them camouflage against predators. Some amazing facts about these bats:
- Some populations are migratory, but many have been noted to stay in their territory year round (which also means they do not hibernate);
- These bats are insectivorous, meaning the majority of their diet consists of beetles and other flying bugs they can catch while cruising around;
- They enjoy the palms of the southwest and are known to hang in large numbers around palm “oasis’” (removal of palms and their fronds are one of the biggest outliers of threats to these bats);
- In truth, there isn’t as much known of this bat as far as conservation and distribution; more research needs to be done to see if trimming palm fronds and pesticide usage are their biggest threats.
This adorable little creature of the night was found on the ground near a pool; past being on the ground, it appears he was doing just fine, he simply needed a better place to hang (literally!). And for those who don’t know, most bats are not adapted to fly from the ground. Their wings do not generate enough lift to get them off the ground, and their legs aren’t long enough to allow them to run to get said lift. When a bat finds itself on the ground, it will typically attempt to climb a tree to reach a higher surface, allowing it to take-off and regain flight.
Though we were excited to see this little guy (and take some pictures) we were quick to reach out to AZ Bat Rescue (more information on them can be found here!) for transfer. While adorable, there are two things to remember with bats; they are a little more on the difficult side to rehab, and they also carry rabies. If you ever come upon one in the wild, you do not want to touch them. AZ Bat rescue, as well as staff here at Liberty Wildlife, all have their rabies vaccinations; even so, gloves are worn and precautions are taken to ensure no-contact is made.
For now, this little guy is hanging with our friends at AZ Bat rescue until he’s ready for release. We wish him the best of luck back out in the wild!
By: Acacia Parker | Public Outreach Coordinator
Notable Mentions
Alas, here we are again! We’re at the end of another blog, and as always, I’m incredibly grateful you’re here. Our public hours are now in fall mode, with our animal ambassadors saying hello each Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday from 10am-1pm. Make sure to drop by and say hi to all your friends!
Without further ado, here are this weeks’ notable mentions:
- Turkey vultures enjoying some sun bathing in a flight cage (1 picture)
- The epic rainfall we had last week made Liberty Wildlife a small river! (4 pictures)
- A baby packrat drops by and is placed in the bunny room to be fed (1 picture)
- A great horned owl drops by my backyard before a big rain storm hits! (2 pictures)
Make sure to keep an eye out for upcoming events (we’ll be talking about them a lot over the next few weeks)!
Until next time!
By: Acacia Parker | Public Outreach Coordinator
More Posts from Liberty Wildlife
May 20, 2025
I am often asked the “why” or the “reason” for Liberty Wildlife’s Non-Eagle Feather Repository.
July 1, 2025
I am going to do something I don’t often do… anthropomorphize a great horned owl and a Harris hawk…
© 2025 Liberty Wildlife - Privacy Policy