HawkTalk

A common snapping turtle in a hide under water.

Nutritional Secondary Hyperparathyroidism

What is Nutritional Secondary Hyperparathyroidism (NHSP)? Nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism (NSHP) is unfortunately a common type of metabolic bone disease that can occur in any animal but is most often seen in reptiles and amphibians. This…
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Red-tailed hawk stands on a squirrel it caught.

Taking Time to Digest

Arrival of Red-Tailed Hawk 24-2154 While the patients presenting to the Wildlife Medical Clinic are typically injured or ill in some shape or form, we do sometimes receive patients that are clinically healthy. This was…
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A "quiet zone" yellow sign on a door.

Reducing Stress in Wildlife Medicine

Fear Free Approach In recent years, many veterinary practices have shifted towards a new approach to helping animals feel safe and secure in the clinic. These techniques, called “Fear Free”, aim to decrease stress and…
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Virginia Opossum, Petunia, sneaking between two carved pumpkins. One pumpkin has the WMC Owl logo on it, and one has a snake carved in it.

Carving Pumpkins with Ambassadors

The Ambassador Team held their second annual pumpkin carving event last month. Since the ambassador volunteers primarily do their shifts individually or in pairs, social events are a great way to bond as a team…
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Great Horned Owl patient in the Wildlife Medical Clinic. This photo was the initial picture taken when they arrived at the clinic.

The Journey Back to the Wild

Great Horned Owl, Bubo virginianus The great horned owl, Bubo virginianus, is found across the majority of North America. Here in Illinois, they are found across the entire state. They are very adaptable and can…
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Red-tailed hawk "Ruby" landing on the glove of falconer, Sarah Spang. Ruby was being flown on a creance between Sydney Oliveira and Spang.

Ambassador Enrichment

Enrichment, What is it? In addition to the daily husbandry of our resident ambassador animals, we also provide training and enrichment. The goal of enrichment is to provide mental (and sometimes physically involved) stimulation while…
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Falconer and Wildlife Medical Clinic volunteer, Sarah Spang, with a red-tailed hawk on the glove while out in the field hunting.

Welcome, Sarah Spang!

We would like to introduce you to a special volunteer that is currently helping us with some of our raptor training. Sarah is a licensed falconer that has brought some new training techniques to our…
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