UIC Library Staff
Virtual Ambassador Animal Visit
The Library Community Building Committee is excited to bring the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Wildlife Medical Clinic (WMC) to our virtual Animal Ambassadors event. Clinic volunteers will provide an educational presentation and we will have the chance to "meet" WMC's Animal Ambassadors.
When: Thursday May 5th, 2022. 1:00PM - 2:00PM
Where: Zoom
Zoom Information
Thanks to everyone who participated! View the Zoom Recording.
About the UIUC College of Veterinary Medicine Wildlife Medical Clinic
Twenty-four hours per day, seven days per week, the Wildlife Medical Clinic (WMC) accepts ill, injured, or orphaned native wild animals, with the exception of skunks and bats.
The primary goal in the treatment of these patients is to assist in their recovery for release back into the wild. Wild animals must be in peak condition for release in order to find food, avoid predation, and successfully interact with other members of their species. Unfortunately, many of the animals the clinic receives are too debilitated to recover and be released. A defect in vision, flight ability or species recognition can easily lead to the animal’s demise or exclusion from its society. For these animals who cannot be returned to their wild home, the WMC offers humane euthanasia.
In special circumstances, the WMC will place permanently debilitated patients in collections at zoos, nature centers, or wildlife facilities where they will be used as ambassadors for their species in education campaigns.
Funding
The WMC is a non-profit organization that depends solely on fund-raising, donations, and grants for its operating budget. The College of Veterinary Medicine donates the clinic space and utilities, but all other costs are the responsibility of the WMC. Donations cover the cost of food, diagnostic tests, equipment, medications, consultations, and surgeries for our patients. Volunteers provide the majority of animal care, and veterinary students do most of the care in their first three years of the curriculum. The WMC has approximately ninety volunteers responsible for receiving and examining patients and providing daily care to current ones.
If you would like to support the WMC’s mission of conservation, public education, and veterinary teaching, please donate to the WMC!