This Eastern Ratsnake was admitted to the Wildlife Center in December 2021. The snake was taken from an unknown location in the wild and kept for an unknown period of time before a friend of the snake's former owner intervened and brought the ratsnake to the Center. Because this snake's original home territory and length of time in captivity are unknown, he is unable to be released into the wild.
News
As one of the world’s leading teaching hospitals for wildlife medicine, the Wildlife Center of Virginia has a core mission to teach the world to care about and care for wildlife and the environment. This news page collects stories of the Center’s expertise in action.
August 23, 2022
The Wildlife Center of Virginia recently learned that UNTAMED, the television series co-produced by the Center and VPM, Virginia's home for public media, will not be renewed by VPM for Season 5. The award-winning series has been in production for the past four seasons, winning multiple Telly awards and an Emmy Award nomination. Mason Mills, executive producer at VPM, indicated that production was cancelled due to funding and changing priorities for VPM.
August 18, 2022
Following three months of veterinary and rehabilitative care, two juvenile Bald Eagles were released at Lake Anna State Park on August 12, 2022. Dr. Karra, the Center's Director of Veterinary Services, had the opportunity to speak with several news media representatives after the eagles had successfully taken flight back into the wild. During a conversation with journalists at the Fredericksburg-based B101.5 FM radio station, Dr.
August 8, 2022
As we approach the end of summer, teachers everywhere are busily engaged in planning for the new school year. The Wildlife Center of Virginia website has abundant resources for teachers to help them incorporate the lessons of wildlife veterinary medicine and environmental conservation into their science, biology, and environmental science lesson plans.
Below is a list, with links, of resources available.
UNTAMED: Life is Wild
August 6, 2022
Oliver was admitted to the Center as a patient in the Spring of 2022 after he was injured by a cat. The young opossum recovered from his injuries, but his right eye sustained considerable trauma and needed to be removed. With only one eye, Oliver would not have been able to survive in the wild and was deemed non-releasable, but was considered a possible candidate to join the Center's animal ambassador team. The outreach team started working with the opossum in May 2022.
July 27, 2022
During the month of August, the Wildlife Center is highlighting an important aspect of animal care for the ambassadors at our Center—enrichment! Enrichment can best be described as any stimulus you provide an animal that encourages it to perform the natural behaviors its species would perform in the wild. In other words, it's a way of replicating the things that an animal would experience in the wild. This can be as simple as hiding an animal's food so it has to forage, or as complex as changing an animal's habitat throughout each season.
July 27, 2022
The summer season is in full swing, and many of us are looking for ways to beat the heat as temperatures climb. A trip to the swimming pool, an ice-cold beverage in the shade, relaxing inside with the air conditioning turned up – a myriad of options exist for humans when staying cool and comfortable is the goal.