Cute Baby Wildlife: 33 Adorable Reasons To Go Outside Right Now

As a hospital for wildlife, we see a lot of adorable animals here at the Wildlife Center of Virginia. Each year we treat more than 2,600 animals - animals you might see right in your backyard! Many of theses animals are babies that were separated from their parents when they were too young. We raise the babies until they are old enough to be released into the wild. In honor of Backyard Wildlife Week, we decided to share some of the cutest "wildlife neighbors" with you. Try not to squeal when you see the baby opossum - we dare you.

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The Wildlife Center of Virginia / Via wildlifecenter.org

No, that’s not a Muppet in your tree. It’s a Barred Owlet.

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This smiling Raccoon promises he won't raid your garbage.

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The Wildlife Center of Virginia / Via wildlifecenter.org

This tiny Eastern Box Turtle hatchling just crawled out of the dirt!

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Ok, so sometimes they steal bird seed from your feeders, but Squirrels definitely win the award for "Cutest Nose".

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Wait, no. Eastern Cottontail Rabbits definitely win the “Cutest Nose” award.

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The Wildlife Center of Virginia / Via wildlifecenter.org

Final answer. Black Bears. Black Bears definitely have the cutest noses.

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The Wildlife Center of Virginia / Via wildlifecenter.org

This very serious Eastern Bluebird Fledgling wants you to put up a birdhouse.

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This Snapping Turtle can't figure out why you're staring at him. Is it because he's so adorable?

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Via wildlifecenter.org

Being so cute can be exhausting. Just ask this White-tailed Deer Fawn. Sometimes she hides in the tall grass just to get away from all the attention.

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When they get tired, some baby animals need to curl up with a couple friends, like these Gray Squirrels ...

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... Or these Black Bear cubs.

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Sometimes they need to snuggle up to something soft, like this Virginia Opossum ...

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... And take a nap, like this White-footed Mouse ...

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... And this baby bat ...

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The Wildlife Center of Virginia / Via wildlifecenter.org

... And this fluffy baby Turkey Vulture!

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But after a nice nap, the baby animals have so much energy to play! This passel of 'possums is ready to go!

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Imagine coming across this cute little Red Fox kit in your backyard.

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These Black Bear cubs totally nailed the concept of playtime when they discovered "melon-on-a-rope" on the Critter Cams at the Wildlife Center of Virginia.

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The Wildlife Center of Virginia / Via wildlifecenter.org

All that play can work up a big appetite for these little animals. This Eastern Cottontail Rabbit just wants to quietly enjoy her alfalfa sprouts.

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But these White-tailed Deer fawns are less concerned about being noisy eaters.

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Sometimes feeding gets a little messy, especially when you're a Black Bear cub.

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This Cedar Waxwing fledgling demonstrates how demanding baby animals can be when it's time to eat.

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The baby animals in our care require lots of hard work. But this Gray Fox kit is proof that we're lucky to work with these wild animals.

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The Wildlife Center of Virginia / Via wildlifecenter.org

And so is this precious Carolina Chickadee fledgling - a frequent flier to backyard bird feeders in Virginia.

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Big cats are a bit elusive in the wild, so this Bobcat kitten is a rare sighting!

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This baby Striped Skunk is guaranteed to make you happy ... just ignore the faint odor.

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A Wood Duckling's "smile" is contagious.

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The very best part of working with Virginia wildlife, like this Broad-winged Hawk chick ...

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The Wildlife Center of Virginia / Via wildlifecenter.org

... Is watching them grow up ...

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... and releasing them back to their homes in the wild. This juvenile Bald Eagle flies free!

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The Wildlife Center of Virginia / Via wildlifecenter.org

And watching the Black Bears run to freedom just makes you feel so happy!

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The Wildlife Center of Virginia / Via wildlifecenter.org

Wild animals, like these Barn Owlets, make all of our backyards more interesting.

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The Wildlife Center of Virginia / Via wildlifecenter.org

We're happy to play a part in keeping Virginia backyards wild. Celebrate Backyard Wildlife Week! This Ruby-throated Hummingbird will thank you.