Wildlife Veterinary Medicine

Blue Ridge Wildlife Center is a full-service wildlife-exclusive teaching hospital. As soon as a wild animal is admitted, our veterinary team performs an intake exam and provides emergency care as needed before creating that patient’s treatment plan.  We perform diagnostics, such as blood work and radiographs, on-site and perform over 130 surgeries per year in our fully-equipped surgical suite. These surgeries are diverse in terms of injuries and species treated, but the bulk of our procedures are fracture and laceration repairs.  Our veterinary team works side by side with our rehabilitation team to perform necessary anesthetic procedures such as physical therapy and bandage changes as well as rechecks on specific patients.

Wildlife medicine comes with some unique challenges. Our veterinary team must diagnose and treat patients who cannot talk, do not want to be touched or approached by humans, and who instinctively hide pain and weakness to avoid predators (such as humans).  

We examine and treat our wildlife patients quietly and with minimal handling so we do not add more stress to a weak or injured animal. At times, we must be creative with diagnostics or treatment options as there are few standardized protocols available for wildlife species.  

Unlike domestic pets who can count on owners to provide food and shelter, wild animals must be able to survive and thrive on their own once released. Any disability that makes it difficult for them to obtain food, to evade predators, or cause chronic pain, is a reason NOT to release them. When animals are deemed non-releasable, our team assesses that animal’s potential for life in captivity. Due to chronic medical issues and the high stress levels of wildlife in captivity, the majority of non-releasable animals are not appropriate to place. In these cases, euthanasia is the most humane option. As in companion animals, euthanasia is accomplished using injectable drugs that allow for a quick and painless death.  

Despite the challenges of working with wildlife, we have an incredibly successful veterinary and rehabilitation program. Our veterinary program allows us to perform life-saving procedures that gives these patients a second chance at a wild life. In cases where they cannot be rehabilitated, we are at least able to provide a peaceful and painless end to their suffering.

Rehabilitation

Wildlife rehabilitation is the process of caring for injured, sick, or orphaned wild animals with the goal of releasing these animals back into the wild. 

These are wild animals and their needs are very different from domestic animals. They require specialized care by highly trained professionals. The species we work with can be dangerous and must be handled properly to prevent injury to both the animal and the handler. Disease spread is also a concern when handling wild species. Special care is taken by our rehabilitation team to minimize human interaction and habituation, which severely reduces that animal’s chance of survival after release.  

The Center rescues and rehabilitates more than 2,200 wild animals each year in addition to saving thousands more with advice given through our wildlife hotline, education programs, newsletters, and social media posts. BRWC employs skilled, permitted, and certified wildlife rehabilitators to care for rescued wildlife and we have specialized enclosures and equipment for a wide variety of species.   

While our veterinary team monitors the health and medical conditions of our patients, our rehabilitation team keeps them fed, clean, enriched, and conditioned for release. Rehabilitators monitor these patients throughout their time in care, keeping track of changes in behavior, health conditions, flight condition, and many other aspects of care, notifying the veterinary team of any changes.  

Wildlife veterinary care and rehabilitation are inextricably linked and BOTH are required for successful treatment and eventual release to the wild!  

Education / OutReach

BRWC provides a variety of education programs to encourage the public to learn about and help our wild neighbors.  

These programs include formal presentations for schools, clubs, and civic groups, larger events and festivals, and even on-site programs in our Ronald M. Bradley Learning Center.  

Children can learn more about nature and wildlife through our Wildlife Discovery Camp, which is held each summer! 

Our veterinary and rehabilitation staff also provide training opportunities for veterinary students or for those interested in learning more about rehabilitation. For those who live locally and want to help the Center, we offer a variety of volunteer positions including animal care, education, transporting, administrative work, and many others! 

Our wildlife ambassadors are an essential part of our education program and are featured in our education programs as well as summer camp! Meeting live animals fosters an emotional connection to wildlife that we hope inspires people to protect these animals and their environments on which they depend.   

One Health / Research

One Health is a field in which multiple sectors work together to attain optimal health for people, animals, and the environment. One Health professionals include veterinarians, physicians, environmental scientists, public health professionals and many others. Humans are part of the ecosystem too and our health is dependent upon that of the environment.  

Human, animal, and environmental health are inextricably connected! By treating individual animals, being involved in research and student training, and educating the public, centers like ours work to improve the health and sustainability of all life on the planet.   

At the Center, we see diseases that impact both humans and wildlife such as the Rabies Virus, West  Nile  Virus, Baylisascaris  procyonis (raccoon roundworm), salmonellosis, and  MANY others. We deal with changes in the populations of vectors that transmit diseases to our patients, to humans, and to other wild species. By collecting data on these patients, obtaining samples, and confirming diagnoses, we are helping to protect our own health in addition to the health of the environment.   

Our hospital regularly reports unusual incidents or unexpected findings to our state wildlife agency, to local (county) health departments, and to researchers to protect human, animal, and environmental health. For example, we are involved in a research project to help define the spread of the invasive Asian Long-horned Tick. We found this tick on a Red-tailed Hawk, the first bird in North America to be found carrying it, in addition to many other species. We continue to work with this study and will hopefully be able to share more information about where this tick can be found and what human and animal pathogens it may be carrying.  

Many of our interns also contribute to One Health by conducting research projects during their stay, focusing on topics affecting humans and domestic animals in addition to the wildlife we treat. It is important to remember that centers like ours are not just here to save the animal you found – we are also here to protect public health, research issues that affect all of us, and educate humans on the importance of biodiversity!