WMC Blog Archive - Veterinary Medicine at Illinois

Looking straight on at a pumpkin with a vine on left side of stem and a small Virginia Opossum peaking over the right side of the pumpkin.

Virginia Opossum Coloring Page

Our newest ambassador, Pesto the Virginia Opossum, was inspiration for this cute coloring sheet drawn by one of our volunteers. Feel free to share your fully colored masterpieces with us on Facebook by tagging us…
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2026 Wildlife Medical Clinic Calendar with a hawk with the wings spread sitting on a handler. College branding.

WMC Giving Opportunities

Check out our recent visit to CiLiving where Wildlife Medical Clinic Director, Dr. Stephany Lewis, DVM, CWR, DABVP (Avian Practice) goes over some unique giving opportunities that the clinic has to offer. Some of these…
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Spiny Softshell Turtle recent hatchling sitting in the hand of a Wildlife Medical Clinic volunteer.

Beyond the Incubator, Spiny Softshell Turtle Edition

Spiny Softshell Basics Spiny Softshell Turtles are considered one of the largest freshwater turtle species within the United States. Their unique appearance makes them stand out among other turtle species. As their name suggests, their…
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Mourning Dove sitting on a towel between two gloved hands during a veterinary exam.

Wildlife and Domestic Cats

Wildlife Medical Clinic Overview Each year, the Wildlife Medical Clinic at the University of Illinois provides care to around 2,300 wildlife patients and about 120 different species. We take all native Illinois wildlife, excluding skunks…
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Captive Barn Owl sitting on a gloved hand.

Eerie Creatures- Scary or Misunderstood

As spooky season approaches, we want to talk about a few animals that get a bad rap for being scarier than they truly are. Owls Owls are often associated with death and bad luck and…
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Golden Plover Graphic with common and scientific name listed below images of a male and female plover. Image retrieved from Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Photo credit: Briansmallphoto.com

Deceptively Endangered? – The American Golden Plover

General Information and Characteristics Considered to be one of the fastest flying shorebirds, reaching speeds of up to 60 miles per hour, the American Golden Plover is a common migratory bird species found traversing the…
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Birds and Migration

Avian Migration Whether you’re an avid bird-watcher or a person who avoids parking under trees so that you don’t have to wash the droppings off of your car for the nth time this week, you’re…
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Young Virginia Opossum sitting on a blanket, looking forwards.

Scavengers Aren’t Scary

Sydney Oliveira, WMC Program Coordinator, and Roxanne Lisowsky, Wildlife Ambassador Care Coordinator and DVM candidate 2027 talk about scavengers. They also introduce us to the Wildlife Medical Clinic’s newest ambassador animal, a young male Virginia…
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Young Virginia Opossum wildlife patient being held for an examine in the Wildlife Medical Clinic.

Should you rescue that animal? Understanding injured wildlife

Sydney Oliveira, WMC Program Coordinator, had the pleasure of chatting with Illinois Extension educators on their podcast, Everyday Environment. Some topics that were discussed include the following: To listen to the podcast or read the…
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Former WMC Ambassador Virginia Opossum, Petunia sitting on a towel.

Remembering Petunia

We recently made the difficult decision to humanely euthanize Petunia, our resident Virginia opossum. Petunia was a huge part of our ambassador program at the Wildlife Medical Clinic, and she will be greatly missed. Petunia’s…
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