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New for Fiesta 2025 - A Whole Earth Pin Benefiting Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation!

In 2025, Fiesta San Antonio will be in full swing from April 24th through May 4th. It's an eleven-day celebration of history, culture, music, and food with over 100 events to enjoy. Fiesta medals are a beloved tradition in San Antonio with the first one created for the public in 1946. Today businesses and organizations across the city offer their own medals, including Whole Earth. They're worn proudly on sashes and vests and are popular with collectors who buy, sell, and swap them. Fiesta medals can also be fundraisers for groups that give back to the community. 

Whole Earth's 2025 Fiesta Medal benefits Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation, an organization that has been saving lives since 1977 - 48 years! The pin highlights the iconic smokestacks at our Alamo Quarry Market store with the moon, a flowering agave, and scattered blossoms. This year's Fiesta pin is $12. For an extra $7 you can pick up last year's medal as well. You'll find them exclusively at our San Antonio store. Supplies are limited so don't wait to add them to your collection! Come meet the folks from Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation in our San Antonio store on Saturday, April 27th from noon to 4pm.They'll be ready to answer your questions. 

The proceeds of our 2025 Fiesta Pin will help sustain the work of Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation: rescuing, rehabilitating, and releasing native wildlife and providing sanctuary, individualized care, and a voice for other animals in need. In 2023 alone, they cared for over 8500 animals and responded to more than 19,000 inquiries and calls for help. WRR rescues and cares for all wildlife, including native and non-native species. They believe that all animals — rare or common, regardless of species — are deserving of care, attention, and respect.

Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation began as the vision of a young woman in her mid-twenties in 1977 in San Antonio. Lynn Cuny saw that many wild animals suffered and died after encounters with humans and that many could be saved and, with help, returned to the wild. She also saw that some could not be released due to the nature of their injuries or other factors and that they could live satisfactory lives in a sanctuary. It was her vision when founding WRR to one day have a 200-acre sanctuary in the Texas Hill Country. This vision became a reality with the help, donations, and hard work of many people over the years.

WRR's respect for animals includes how they are spoken of: "Animals are intelligent, sentient individuals. We refer to them as 'he/she' or 'them/they,' or by species. The words 'it' or 'thing' are never used to refer to an animal, and 'who' is used rather than 'that.' If you do not know the gender, choose one: 'he' or 'she.' Even if your gender choice is wrong, it is more respectful than 'it.' This is an important way of demonstrating the respect we ask others to afford all animals."

The main Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation sanctuary and rehabilitation facilities are located about fifty miles from both San Antonio and Austin. There are six ponds, two creeks, and the Little Blanco River on the property. The topography of the land is diverse and enclosure areas were chosen according to the specific needs of the species who would live in them.

Much of the 212 acres are left in a natural state for the native species of wildlife who were living there when WRR acquired the land. They built a 5,000-square-foot Hospital & Rehabilitation Clinic, a 3,000-square-foot Nutrition Center, a brand new 2,800 square foot Vet Suite, a large maintenance building, and renovated several small buildings on the property that are now used for administration offices, animal receiving, animal enrichment, hay barns, and related needs.

Some of WRR's recent accomplishments include new turtle rehabilitation ponds and updates to the turtle care building. The largest water bird pond was dredged without harming resident fish, birds and reptiles. A new enclosure was created for senior pigs with arthritis that includes points of interest for these intelligent animals and is easy to them to navigate. And the original bobcat enclosures have been enlarged to over two acres of rugged terrain where six to eight bobcats live.

Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation's rescue hotline can be reached at (830) 336-2725 and is available to provide advice and assistance for animals in need, and answer questions about wildlife. You can also visit WRR's website at www.wildlife-rescue.org for more information and resources. We hope you'll join us in supporting this outstanding organization.