Inside Busch Wildlife Sanctuary

It was announced in 2020 that Busch Wildlife Sanctuary will be moving from its beloved home at the Loxahatchee River District to a new home, 5-miles down the road in a little place called Jupiter Farms. What will it be like to create a purpose-built sanctuary for the 200+ permanent residents of Busch, as well a new hospital servicing their rescue and rehabilitation efforts? And how do you move so many animals (like panthers, bears, alligators, eagles, otters, etc.)? We also learn about Busch’s roots and get a sneak-peak into what the new Sanctuary will look like. 

Join us for our last episode of Season 1 as we take a journey with David C. Guggenheim inside the Sanctuary which cares for injured, sick, orphaned and un-releasable native wildlife in southern Florida. It’s a place for healing; animal and human alike. 

It's also Spring, and that means, baby season at Busch! We go inside Busch’s nursery to meet the youngest members of the Busch family. All of them rescued by local members of the community and we learn the dos and don’ts when it comes to rescuing baby animals. 

To learn more about Busch Wildlife Sanctuary go to www.buschwildlife.org or you can call them anytime on their hotline: 561-575-3399. 

Support the show

Each year Busch Wildlife Sanctuary receives literally thousands of injured, sick and abandoned animals. How do they get to Busch, and what happens to them once they arrive? And most importantly, are they able to be re-released back into the wild after treatment? We answer those questions by following the fate of one particular pelican who was saved by local fisherman, Daniel Jones. Come with us this month as we meet Pelican 5679 and discover his fate.

As we do each first-Monday of the month, take a journey with David C. Guggenheim inside this amazing Sanctuary which cares for injured, sick, orphaned and un-releasable native wildlife in southern Florida. It’s a place for healing; animal and human alike. 

We also get to meet Charlie, one of Busch’s two otters. While Charlie is undoubtedly cute, otters can be very aggressive and are vectors for rabies, so watch out if you ever encounter one in the wild.  Charlie is special in that he is, what they call, “target trained” – what is that and why train a wild otter? Come find out.

You will also have the privilege of meeting one very special panther, Makaya. She came to Busch after being used as a prop for family photos. Now, as a permanent resident of Busch, Makaya shows us why the panther is such a critical part of nature, and why the Florida Panther’s situation in the wild is so grim. 

To learn more about Busch Wildlife Sanctuary go to www.buschwildlife.org or you can call them anytime on their hotline: 561-575-3399. 

Support the show

Who saves the 7-foot alligator after its been hit by a truck? Or an otter after its been poisoned? Or a protected bird after getting shot? No one. Or at least no one if there wasn’t Busch Wildlife Sanctuary. But even Busch and its mission to rehabilitate and release wild animals back into the native lands, even Busch doesn’t have the financial ability to pay for a staff of rescuers to actually go out into the world and rescue the animals. That’s where volunteers come in. And it’s not an easy job. Dealing with whoever finds the animal, then finding the animal, catching it (taking in some cases up to hours to successfully complete) and hauling it back to Busch so the miracle workers there can give it the medical attention it needs. This is the story of how a couple of real-life superheroes inspired the creation of the Busch Wildlife Rescue team. 

As we do each first Monday of the month, take a journey with David C. Guggenheim inside this amazing Sanctuary which cares for injured, sick, orphaned and un-releasable native wildlife in southern Florida. It’s a place for healing; animal and human alike. 

And get to know one very special animal, Jacques the Barn Owl and one of his handlers, famous radio personality Sunny Quinn. Learn what brought Jacques to Busch’s door – and how he has dedicated his life to educating humanity about the nature of owls (and to Sunny).

To learn more about Busch Wildlife Sanctuary go to www.buschwildlife.org or you can call them anytime on their hotline: 561-575-3399. 

Support the show

For those who’ve been. For those who haven’t. What would it be like to walk Busch Wildlife Sanctuary with its Executive Director, Amy Kight? Hearing directly from the boss about many of the 200+ animals that call this place their permanent home. Join us as we are invited on that walk and learn why opossums play dead and find out the names of all the racoons! And much, much more.

Take a journey with David C. Guggenheim inside this amazing Sanctuary which cares for injured, sick and un-releasable native wildlife in southern Florida. It’s a place for healing; animal and human alike. 

And get to know one very special animal, Buckshot the Northern Crested Caracara. Learn what brought Buckshot to Busch’s door – spoiler alert, it isn’t pretty, and find out what kept this amazing raptor here at the sanctuary.

We’ll also get to know Busch’s Executive Director. And believe us when we say this: Amy Kight is an animal lover. Dogs, cats, birds, horses, donkeys, pigs, reptiles, kinkajous, porcupines, and those are just the animals she lives with. And lots of’em.  You won’t want to miss this very special edition of Inside Busch Wildlife Sanctuary. 

Support the show

After closing its doors for 8-weeks due to COVID-19, Busch Wildlife Sanctuary reopened to the public. Hear what it was like for the men, women and families who returned on the very first day of Busch’s reopening and find out what Busch means to those who pass through its doors. 

Bears, alligators, panthers, eagles and many, many more. Take a journey with David C. Guggenheim inside this amazing Sanctuary which cares for injured, sick and un-releasable wildlife in southern Florida. It’s a place for healing; animal and human alike.

And get to know two very special animals. Learn about Freddy the alligator and how she has flourished in her new habitat, complements of one incredible contributor. You’ll also get to meet Daffodil, the white-tailed deer who will warm your heart with her story of survival. And find out the lengths one caretaker will go in their devoted attempts to help Daffodil thrive. 

Support the show

Busch Wildlife Sanctuary was closed to the public due to COVID19 for 8 weeks. That closure led to some very unique circumstances within the facility. The otters became starved for attention while the more, human-shy bobcats relished in the quiet. Each animal had its own reaction as the wild-wildlife increasingly encroached behind the Sanctuary’s boundaries. This is truly co-existing with nature.

Bears, alligators, panthers, eagles and many, many more. Take a journey with David C. Guggenheim inside this amazing Sanctuary which cares for injured, sick and unreleasable wildlife in southern Florida. It’s a place for healing; animal and human alike.

And get to know one very special animal, Stu the Black Bellied Whistling Duck.  Haven’t heard of Stu? Well, let us put it this way, what does a duck have to do to become Busch’s “unofficial mascot” – Come find out, INSIDE Busch Wildlife Sanctuary!

Support the show

This is the official podcast of Busch Wildlife Sanctuary. We’ll be giving you exclusive access to all our amazing stories - from the rescues of wild animals – to the rehabilitation of sick or injured animals – to the releases of animals back into the wild – that, and you’ll getting to know many of the 200 plus critters who’ve made Busch their forever home.

If you’re new to Busch Wildlife – don’t worry - this podcast is for YOU too – if you’re looking to learn about native wildlife and how humans are impacting their environment or interested in knowing what it’s like to handle bears, panthers, alligators and more – look no further. 

The Sanctuary is a non-profit organization that relies on the public to bring injured wildlife to our animal hospital in Jupiter, Florida. Over the years, we have rescued deer, foxes, otters, bald eagles, squirrels, birds of all shapes and sizes, and many, many others. Our volunteer rescue team is sent out to rescue animals that the public can't, such as bobcats, raccoons, foxes, and more. 

New episodes drop the first Monday of every month during the season, as we share the inside stories from Busch Wildlife – and remember to hit that subscribe button now so you don’t miss an episode!

From all of us at the Sanctuary, we thank you for your support and we look forward to seeing you here, “Inside Busch Wildlife Sanctuary”

Support the show