June 2008

The Wildlife Center of Virginia, an internationally acclaimed teaching and research hospital for wildlife and conservation medicine located in Waynesboro, admitted a total of 544 animals for treatment during the month of May 2008 – injured, ailing, and orphaned wildlife from all across Virginia.

May is generally the busiest month of the year at the Wildlife Center, with an influx of baby mammals and birds. During May 2008, the Wildlife Center admitted:

• 82 Eastern Cottontail Rabbits;
• 54 Virginia Opossums;
• 40 American Robins;
• 40 European Starlings;
• 26 Common Grackles;
• 26 Mallards; and
• 20 Canada Geese.

During the month, the Center also admitted several less common animals, including:

• Four Bald Eagles, including a Bald Eaglet hatched at the Norfolk Botanical Garden. This bird has attracted an international following through its online appearances on “Eagle Cam”. The eaglet was admitted to the Wildlife Center on May 22 and is currently undergoing treatment for a particularly aggressive case of Avian Pox.

  Updates and pictures of the baby Bald Eagle are available through the Center’s website, at www.wildlifecenter.org/news/norfolk_botanical_garden_eagle.

• A Common Loon found on May 12 at an “uncommon” location – it landed in a parking lot it likely mistook for water in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. It was the 50,000th patient treated during the Wildlife Center’s 25-year history. The loon was treated for foot injuries and released back onto a nearby lake on June 3.
  

  [+] Patient #50,000 being released by Wildlife Rehabilitator Tracy Marshall

• A Peregrine Falcon, a nestling bird from Cobb Island that was admitted with an injury to one foot. Two toes were subsequently amputated by Center veterinary staff; the peregrine is still recovering at the Wildlife Center. There are only about 20 known nesting pair of Peregrine Falcons in Virginia.
  

  [+] A Peregrine Falcon nestling from Cobb Island

A complete list of all species admitted to the Wildlife Center during May is attached.

“Many young animals brought to the Wildlife Center each year, particularly during the spring, don’t need to come here,” Ed Clark, President of the Wildlife Center, said. “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 healthcare needs of animals.]

At this time of year, the Wildlife Center receives a host of calls about White-tailed Deer fawns. Fawns are born from April through July, with the majority of births in June. From birth the fawns are left alone while their mothers go off to feed. The mothers will stay away from the fawns to avoid leading predators to their location. Mothers return at dusk and dawn to move and feed their young. “Finding a fawn alone does not automatically mean that it has been abandoned or orphaned,’” said Clark. “Unless a fawn is injured, our general advice is to leave the fawn alone for 24 hours. In most cases, the mother will return to provide food and care.”

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 in their native habitats.

Since its founding in 1982, the nonprofit Wildlife Center has cared for more than 50,000 wild animals, representing 200 species of native birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. 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 the National Wildlife Federation’s 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.