Minnesota Wildlife Rehabilitator Samantha Troff, 20s, Dies in Motorcycle Crash With Partner Shelby Walker

Samantha “Sam” Troff came to the Wildlife Science Center as an intern, chasing a degree in fisheries and wildlife from Oregon State University. She left as something far more — a person who made the animals feel like her own, who gave the wolves and raptors and foxes a kind of care that only comes when someone truly loves what they do.

Last week, Sam and her partner, Shelby Walker, were killed in a motorcycle accident. She was young. Too young. And the community she touched is still trying to find its footing.

Sam was not someone who did things halfway. While completing her degree online, she logged more than 40 hours a week as an intern at WSC, another 15 to 20 hours as a farmhand, and still found time to keep up with her coursework.

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That kind of discipline is rare in anyone, let alone someone just starting out.

But what set Sam apart was not just her work ethic. It was the way she showed up for the animals. Staff at WSC noted that she never treated the wolves, birds, raccoons, and foxes as someone else’s responsibility. They were hers. That feeling — that ownership of care — made all the difference.

From Intern to Bird Woman

It was the Raptors that captured her most completely. Over time, Sam narrowed her focus to birds and became deeply involved in WSC’s Raptor program. When her internship ended, the center offered her a position on the animal care staff team, a testament to how much she had grown and how much she was needed.

Eventually, she moved on to pursue her dream more fully, landing work at the Raptor Center on the University of Minnesota campus and at the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. She was building exactly the life she had set out to build.

Those who knew Sam knew Shelby, too. The two were inseparable — partners in every sense of the word. Shelby was her biggest fan, present for every step of her journey, and was beside her when both of their lives were cut short. Shelby was in Sam’s arms when the accident happened. It is a loss that bends the heart.

The tributes that have poured in from former colleagues, friends, and the broader wildlife community speak to what kind of person Sam was. One friend described meeting her and knowing immediately she was a lover of all things wild.

Another called her simply the best. Her mother-in-law, Robin Walker, called her a daughter. These are not the words people use for someone they barely knew. They are the words of people who were changed by knowing her.

Sam Troff spread her passion for wild places and wild things like fire, as the Wildlife Science Center put it. That fire does not go out easily.

A joint celebration of life for Sam and Shelby will be held on Friday, June 19th, 2026, from 4 to 9 p.m. at Irving and John Anderson County Park, 27201 Furman Street NE, North Branch, Minnesota. A separate service for Shelby will follow on Saturday, June 20th. All are welcome.