Wildlife Medical Clinic at Illinois

11/02/2024

Our WMC fall clothing sale is open now until November 15! Shop for some cute wildlife medical clinic themed apparel and help support the animals we care for! 🦉🐢🦊🐇

Shipping available to all but pick up is available to CVM students, faculty, and staff only. Thanks for your support of the Wildlife Medical Clinic!

11/01/2024

(s)

Part 2-
Great horned owl 24-1185 arrived on June 16th after being hit by a car and entangled in netting. She had a tarsometatarsal (lower leg) fracture that was surgically repaired by Dr. Bender, UIUC Zoo Med Specialty Intern and previous WMC student manager, under supervision by Dr. Lewis, WMC Director. After her leg healed, she was sent to DuPage Wildlife Conservation Center in Glen Ellyn, IL for reconditioning in their large flight cage. WMC volunteer Angela Bella then picked up this bird from Glen Ellyn to release back near the location she was found!
(see video below)

Lastly, Great horned owl 24-1847 arrived to the WMC on August 24th with severe ocular trauma and a large wound on the top of the head with the skull exposed. Fourth year veterinary student Bob Lynch repaired the owl's head wound under Dr. Lewis' supervision. One eye was confirmed to be blind and unable to be saved. That eye was surgically removed under Dr. Lewis' guidance by WMC team leader Roxanne Lisowsky. The other eye was treated successfully for inflammation. Many rehabilitation centers will release one-eyed owls as they rely primarily on their hearing to hunt. All of this patient's procedures healed beautifully, and she was reconditioned at Illinois Raptor Center and released by WMC team leader, Sofia Descamp back in her home territory.

Again, we could not complete our amazing work without the help of friends and colleagues! Our sincerest gratitude goes out to Illinois Raptor Center and DuPage Wildlife Conservation Center for their assistance with these special patients!

11/01/2024

(s)

Last week we released FOUR long-term adult great horned owl patients! We are going to divide their stories into two posts, so stayed tuned for part two later today!

Part 1-
Great horned owl 24-1824 arrived to WMC on August 23rd thin and with multiple parasitic infections. With extensive medical therapy and supportive care, they made a full recovery. This patient also was sent to DuPage Wildlife Conservation Center in Glen Ellyn, IL for flight reconditioning and released by WMC volunteer Angela Bella, where it was originally found (see video below).

Great horned owl 24-1640 arrived to WMC on August 4th with a left humeral fracture. Her fracture was surgically repaired by DVM intern Dr. Erica Bender and healed perfectly! This patient reconditioned with our partners at Illinois Raptor Center, and was released by Dr. Bender back in her home territory!

We could not complete our amazing work without the help of friends and colleagues! Our sincerest gratitude goes out to Illinois Raptor Center and DuPage Wildlife Conservation Center for their assistance with these special patients!

10/31/2024

🎃Happy Halloween!🎃

Below are a few images of some of our resident ambassador animals enjoying their Halloween enrichment...Pumpkins!

10/30/2024

🛎DING, DING, DING!🛎

For , if you guessed Coyote, you are correct.

Our sixth Halloween animal is a coyote. While wolves are more commonly associated with Halloween and said to shape shift into werewolves, we would like to highlight this local and lesser known canid.

Coyotes were once thought of as an ominous sign. Native American Navajo people believed you should turn back if one crossed your path. They also admired the coyote as well for its intelligence and and aptly named it the trickster since they can be funny or fearsome. These animals are also thought to be dangerous to humans, which is not true and if seen out in the day, people often think these animals are rabid, which usually is also not true.

While these animals are very intelligent and curious, they are quite shy and fearful of humans. They are top predators and help control the populations of smaller mammals and rodents such as rabbits, skunk, raccoons, fox, and sometimes deer. This helps with maintaining a healthy ecosystem and species diversity in the environment. Surprisingly, coyotes are omnivores and will eat fruit and vegetables too, especially when meat is scarce. These animals are most commonly crepuscular, which means they are active at dawn and dusk. However, they are opportunistic, so based on food availability, they may be out during the day or night. If you see them out during the day, it does not mean they have rabies, they are more than likely just searching for food.

These animals are very important in the environment and help to keep the ecosystem balanced. While it is not common, they can pose a threat to some of our smaller domestic animals, such as cats and dogs, not horses and other large farm animals. To keep coyotes wild and away from your pets, it is best to feed your pets inside, keep your cats indoors, and make sure to supervise your dog when they are outside. While coyotes don't actively seek these animals as prey, they would not turn down the opportunity if the animal was easily available. There is no need to fear a coyote but just be aware and alert if one is near your property and smaller pets.

10/30/2024

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Can you guess what our sixth Halloween animal is?

Come back at 5pm to see if you guessed correctly and to learn more about these creatures.

10/29/2024

Our fifth Halloween animal is a snake. 🐍

Snakes often get a bad reputation and are thought of as evil, slimy, and dangerous. Throughout history (mythology, religion, and storytelling), snakes have been portrayed as evil. These creatures have scales instead of fur, lack eyelids so they cannot blink, and have no appendages so they slither across the ground flicking their tongue to smell and assess their environment.

These creatures are actually very beneficial to the environment as many eat rodents, which helps to reduce the spread of zoonotic disease. Some smaller snakes like Dekay’s brown snake and Garter snakes’ prey on insects and help to keep your garden free of pests. In addition to being a predator, these animals are also prey for many animals such as larger snakes, birds of prey, and some mammals.

Of the 3,900 species of snakes worldwide, about 600 of them or 15%, are venomous. While these few snakes have the potential to cause bodily harm to a human, most just want to be left alone and will not go out of their way to engage with humans. They don’t want to use their venom unless they have to and ideally that would be for catching prey. Otherwise, most interactions with snakes, venomous or not are when we find them basking in the sun to warm up, moving through the woods or our yards foraging for food, and hiding under an object near our home. Once spotted they do their best to either flee, feign death, or be defensive in hopes of scaring us away. So next time you see these misunderstood creatures, give them some space and let them be on their way as they have an important job to do.

10/28/2024

Our fourth Halloween animal is bats! 🦇

Bats were first connected to Halloween after Dracula was written in which vampires were said to shapeshift into Bats and then drink blood from humans. There are only 3 species of bats (Common vampire bat, white-winged vampire bat, and hairy legged vampire bat) that feed on blood, and they are found in Central and South America. There are also a few species of carnivorous bats that feed on birds, mice, lizards, frogs, and fish. But the vast majority of the close to 1,400 species of bat feed on insects, fruit, and nectar. These animals are very important for pollination and seed dispersal and many of the bat species, especially ones found in our area, are great at pest control, consuming large amounts of insects each night. These animals account for just over 20% of all the mammal species in the world, which means 1 in 5 mammals are a bat!

**Unfortunately, the Wildlife Medical Clinic is unable to accept bats, as it is illegal to rehabilitate this species in the state of Illinois due to the risk of rabies exposure. If you encounter a sick or injured bat, or find a bat in your home, please do not handle it and contact your local animal control agency as well as your physician.

10/27/2024

Our third Halloween species is a toad.

Toads have been said to give you warts if you touch them but this is not true. In fact, the bumps on their back actually secrete a mild toxin to ward off predators. Because of this, they were often associated with witches and said to be used by them to craft poisons.
I can see where this would sound scary but in all reality, toads are very beneficial to the environment. These animals are great at consuming insects, especially in your garden or around crops. They also are great indicators of ecosystem health as their skin is permeable and it makes them vulnerable to toxic substances and drought, which means a decline in numbers can show environmental problems. Even though they can secrete a mild poison, some animals are immune to it or have figured out the safe areas to eat, so toads serve as an important source of food for these other animals (Ex. Crows, Red shouldered hawks, snakes, and even Virginia Opossum).

10/27/2024

It's Food Fundraiser Day. We hope to see you at The Flying Monkey Cafe at Curtis Orchard & Pumpkin Patch. See the flyer below for more information.

10/26/2024

Our second Halloween species is the Virginia Opossum!

These nocturnal animals are often misunderstood and thought of negatively. Common opinions are they are aggressive towards people, not intelligent, dirty and disease ridden.

This could not be farther from the truth. These animals try their hardest to avoid people but when this is unavoidable, their defense can look somewhat intimidating. They hold their mouths open and hiss. In most cases, this is a bluff, and they will then attempt to run away or hope you walk away so they can flee. These animals are not dirty and in fact spend a lot of time grooming to keep clean. Being the only marsupial or pouched mammal in North America makes them quite unique and they have a slightly lower body temp compared to other mammals, making it very difficult for them to get rabies. In addition to this, they are also immune to most North American snake venom, scorpion, and bee stings. These animals are actually very important in the environment and in addition to fruits, vegetables, greens, and insects, they will also eat carrion, or dead animals. This helps to stop the spread of disease and clean up the environment. They also help to prevent tick borne illness by eating a large number of ticks as they groom themselves, they play a role in dispersing seeds, and are a food source for other animals such as owls, hawks, coyotes, fox, raccoons, and bobcats. So, as you can see, these misunderstood creatures, are not scary but in fact super beneficial in the environment.

Pictured Below is our resident ambassador opossum- Petunia😊

10/26/2024

Tomorrows the day. Please consider dining at The Flying Monkey Cafe at Curtis Orchard & Pumpkin Patch between 11am-4pm. Thank you!

10/25/2024

As Halloween approaches, we want to talk about animals that get a bad rap for being scarier than they truly are. We will highlight one species per day from now until Halloween.

First up are Owls🦉, but specifically, Barn Owls.

Owls are often associated with death and bad luck and were once thought to be messengers of witches. One owl in particular, the barn owl, takes the brunt of some of this folklore. Due to it's nocturnal nature, ghostly white color, habit of resting in barns, and loud screaming call, these creatures were thought to be a ghost.

The reality is, these animals don't want to be around people at all. They are great predators that help to control rodent populations, which in turn helps to stop the spread of zoonotic disease that rodents may be carrying.

10/23/2024

🛎DING, DING, DING!🛎

For , if you guessed Red-tailed Hawk, you are correct.

These images are of Ruby, our female Red-tailed Hawk ambassador. Red-tailed hawks use their large talons and strong feet to catch prey such as rabbits, squirrels, other small mammals, and even snakes, smaller birds, and sometimes insects.

10/23/2024

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Can you guess which animal this is?

Come back at 5pm to see if you guessed correctly!

10/19/2024

10/18/2024

Did you know that Osprey can reverse their outer toe? Usually they have three toes pointing forward and one toe pointing back which is called anisodactyly. However, when they are carrying fish, they will hold their prey with two toes forward and two toes back, this is called zygodactyly.

There are a few other bird species that have zygodactyly, such as woodpeckers, owls, cuckoos, and parrots. For more information on Ospreys, check out the link below.

Unique among North American raptors for its diet of live fish and ability to dive into water to catch them, Ospreys are common sights soaring over shorelines, patrolling waterways, and standing on their huge stick nests, white heads gleaming. These large, rangy hawks do well around humans and have r...

10/16/2024

🛎DING, DING, DING!🛎

For , if you guessed Green Heron you are correct!

Did you know that these secretive birds are one of the few bird species that use tools. These herons will actually use bait to lure fish to the surface to catch them. The bait they use may be feathers, insects, and even pieces of food they find nearby.

10/16/2024

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Can you guess which animal this is?

Come back at 5pm to find out!

10/12/2024

🐦 🦋

Happy World Migratory Bird Day! This celebration occurs twice every year, once in May and once in October. This years theme is "Protect Insects, Protect Birds." Check out this article by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that highlights the importance of these species and the challenges they face during migration!

A Shared Journey As cool breezes of fall sweep across parts of North America, our skies fill with a remarkable spectacle—monarch butterflies and migratory birds embark on their long journeys southward. Both monarchs and migratory birds are driven by the changing seasons, seeking warmer climates wh...

10/09/2024

🛎DING, DING, DING!🛎

For , if you guessed American Toad, you are correct!

Did you know that this time of year, toads are starting to go into brumation, which is the reptile equivalent of hibernation? They will either dig a burrow below the frost line or find an abandoned burrow to use and stay there until spring. Once temps warm up and insects return, the toads will begin to emerge from brumation.

10/08/2024

Save the date for Sunday, October 27th from 11am-4pm. We are having a food fundraiser at Curtis Orchard & Pumpkin Patch. We hope to see you there!

10/05/2024

Don't forget to come check out the Vet Med Open House tomorrow and learn all about veterinary medicine! The event goes from 10am-4pm. It is free to park and attend. There will be refreshments available for purchase. We hope to see you all there!

Get a behind-the-scenes look at the state's only veterinary school at the annual Veterinary Medicine Open House.

10/04/2024

Check out an excellent article about fall migration published by the Association of Avian Veterinarians written by our very own WMC Manager, Tyson Jenkins!

Every fall and spring, hundreds of species of birds use a system of “flyways” to migrate according to the seasons. Read this month's AAV Conservation Note on "The North American Flyways: Fall Migration Super-Highways" to learn more about these flyways and the migratory birds that travel on each.

aav.org/blogpost/1525799/504699/The-North-American-Flyways-Fall-Migration-Super-Highways