MORE THAN 2,300 ANIMALS ADMITTED TO WILDLIFE CENTER OF VIRGINIA DURING 2007

The Wildlife Center of Virginia, an internationally acclaimed teaching and research hospital for wildlife and conservation medicine located in Waynesboro, admitted a total of 2,333 animals for treatment during 2007 - injured, ailing, and orphaned wildlife from all across Virginia.

As expected, the 2007 total included many common species - 386 Eastern Cottontail Rabbits; 207 Virginia Opossums; 162 Eastern Gray Squirrels; 96 White-tailed Deer; and 87 American Robins.

Also admitted for treatment were a number of threatened species, or species designated by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries as species of special concern, including 36 Bald Eagles, seven Barn Owls, three Peregrine Falcons, a Long-eared Owl, and a Brown Pelican. [a complete list of 2007 patients by species is attached.]

Among the 36 Bald Eagles admitted during 2007 - a single-year record for the Center - were three birds that had been shot, including eagles from Caroline, Chesterfield, and Page Counties. Ed Clark, President and Co-Founder of the Wildlife Center, noted that it has been several years since the Center admitted an eagle with gunshot wounds. While the Bald Eagle was "delisted" and removed from coverage of the Endangered Species Act during 2007, other state and federal statutes still protect the eagle. The federal Bald and Golden Eagle Recovery Act of 1940, for example, provides for up to a $5,000 fine, a year in prison, or both, for killing or otherwise harming an eagle. These penalties could double for a second offense.

The three eagles that had been shot survived their injuries. Two of the eagles cannot be released back to the wild and are awaiting relocation to the Cape May Zoo. Wildlife center rehabilitation staff continue to treat the third eagle - the bird from Chesterfield County - in the hope that it may recover and be released.

During 2007, patients were admitted from 91 counties and municipalities from all over the Commonwealth [a complete list of 2007 patients by city/county is attached]. About two-thirds of the animals admitted to the Wildlife Center came from cities and counties near Waynesboro, including:

The 2007 total also continued a trend that has seen the number of Center patients declining each year since 2001, when the Center admitted a record 3,315 patients. Clark attributes much of that decline to the Center's recent work to develop a network among the more than 300 wildlife rehabilitators across Virginia who are often "first responders" in cases of wildlife emergencies. In many cases, these individuals, most of whom are volunteers working under permits issued by the Commonwealth of Virginia, provide basic care for animals, while directing more difficult cases to the Wildlife Center.

The Center provides a series of orientation and training sessions for wildlife rehabilitators and hosts an annual conference which brings together more than 100 rehabilitators from across Virginia and neighboring states. The Center also has a full-time staff member charged with supporting community-based wildlife rehabilitators, maintaining a current roster of rehabilitators, and referring any cases across the state to nearby permit-holders.

Another reason for a somewhat lower patient load is that Virginia largely escaped damage from tropical storms or hurricanes in 2007. Clark noted that a single tropical storm can bring hundreds of patients to the Center.

Many young animals brought to the Wildlife Center each year don't need to come here," Clark added. "They are still receiving care from their parents, or are young animals ready to live, and thrive, on their own." Center staff works with citizens who find young animals to assess whether these animals really do need human intervention. [The Center's website - www.wildlifecenter.org - includes a special "I need rescue advice" section to help citizens assess the health-care needs of animals.]

The goal of the Center is to "treat to release" - to restore patients to health and return as many as possible to the wild. The Center provides state-of-the-art medical care for the sick and injured, and sustained, quality foster care so that animals may be returned to the wild with the ability to survive, and thrive, in their native habitats.

Since its founding in 1982, the nonprofit Wildlife Center has cared for more than 49,000 wild animals, representing 200 species of native birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. The Center expects to admit its 50,000th patient during spring 2008. The Center trains veterinary and conservation professionals from all over the world, and wildlife rehabilitators across Virginia, and is actively involved in comprehensive wildlife health studies and the surveillance of emerging diseases.

During 2007, the Center marked its 25th anniversary and received from the National Wildlife Federation the prestigious National Conservation Achievement Award for exemplary leadership in conserving wildlife and connecting people with nature.

Additional information about the Wildlife Center is available at www.wildlifecenter.org.