Sunday, March 16, 2008

Spring Break!

The College of Vet Med started spring break on Friday, so most of the student volunteers (including myself) are not in the clinic this week. The WMC will still be in operation, however, thanks to the superstar managers and some very dedicated volunteers who will be in Urbana over break. As always, the clinic will be accepting ill, injured or orphaned wildlife 24 hours a day.

Don't forget about the upcoming CVM Open House and our fund-raiser, Doodle for Wildlife! Registration for Doodle is now open, and we are getting ready for a great event.

Friday, March 14, 2008

Educational Event on 3/13

Last night, Stacy, Allison and I took Noel, Pistol, Odin and Nokomis out to visit Tiger Cub Den 147. The boys asked some great questions and already knew quite a lot about owls! The den also generously donated some supplies from the clinic's wishlist. The birds really enjoyed going out, since they haven't had many events recently and the weather was so nice. Thanks for a great evening Tiger Cubs!

Noel:

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

It was almost prophetic...

As I was writing the last post, three orphan squirrels came into the clinic. It looks like orphan season has officially begun!

Spring begins...

The wildlife ward has been a little slow lately. The three current cases ( a Canadian goose, a Barred Owl and a Red-Tailed Hawk) are all doing well, and the rest of the teams are waiting for a case. Odin, our resident Red-Tailed Hawk, was especially interested in perching on the step ladder today, even when we needed it to finish cleaning his cage! Susie, our resident Harris Hawk, also got to fly around the ward for awhile. She enjoys perching as high as possible and went almost directly to the top of a shelving unit.

Susie:


With the arrival of spring, we know the clinic won't be quiet for much longer. Every spring brings an influx of orphaned birds, bunnies and squirrels to the clinic. Unfortunately, many of the orphans we receive would have been better left alone. Parents will often leave their young for long periods during the day, leading people to think the young have been abandoned. Our recommendations are to call us when:
1) you know the parents are dead (evidence of a dead parent nearby)
2) The animal is obviously injured, weak, thin, very cold or sick
3) the animal is covered with flies or insects , or
4) the animal is in unavoidable, unnatural danger.
If the "orphan" is fat, bright eyed and apparently healthy it is probably best left alone. You can return the animal to its nest (if you can find it) or move it out of the way to a safe location. If a baby bunny's eyes are open or a baby bird is completely feathered, they are typically old enough to fend for themselves.

On Thursday, the resident birds will be going to visit Tiger Cub Den 147 for an educational program. We're looking forward to a great event!

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Welcome!

Welcome to the Wildlife Medical Clinic blog!

This blog will be used to update the public about special events, daily happenings and cases of the Wildlife Medical Clinic.

The WMC is housed in the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. The College donates clinic space and utilities, but all testing, feed, treatment and surgery costs are covered by the WMC budget. The WMC is a non-profit organization that depends solely on fund-raising, donations, and grants for this operating budget.

The Wildlife Medical Clinic accepts ill, injured, or orphaned wildlife (except for skunks and bats) 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

We're currently getting ready for our annual fund-raiser, Doodle for Wildlife, to be held on Saturday April 19th. For more information, keep checking http://www.cvm.uiuc.edu/wmc/doodle.html