Case Intake The Wildlife Medical Clinic has seen quite a few Virginia opossums this year and these are often a favorite species in the clinic due to their more agreeable attitudes and interesting anatomy. I had the opportunity to work closely with a few Virginia opossums this year, and DIVI 25-2152 was the first one […]
The Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina) is one of six subspecies of the Common Box Turtle and is found in the eastern United States. Eastern Box Turtles are mainly terrestrial turtles that live in areas of high vegetation and are close to small rivers or streams. Box turtles get their name from their hinged […]
Invasive species are estimated to cost North America $26 billion dollars per year since 2010. From plants like common teasel and buckthorn to animals like the Burmese python and lionfish, the damage that has been caused to our native ecosystems is extreme. While steps have been taken to mitigate these damages and prevent further spread […]
Observation and Diagnostic Tools When a good Samaritan brings in a Great horned owl that cannot fly or a lethargic Eastern box turtle with no apparent physical injuries to the Wildlife Medical Clinic, how do we determine what is going on with these patients? That’s where the problem-solving aspect of our work comes into play. […]
Arrival and Initial Concerns On August 31, 2025, the Wildlife Medical Clinic received an adult Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) that had been found grounded and unable to fly. Upon intake, the owl was in thin body condition and demonstrated ocular abnormalities–most notably, aqueous flare in both eyes. This clinical sign indicates there is inflammation […]
Intake At the beginning of October, the Wildlife Medical Clinic welcomed a Painted Turtle brought in by a licensed wildlife rehabilitator from Illinois. Sadly, this patient had been the victim of a common — and often underestimated — threat to our native turtle populations: vehicle collision. Many people are surprised to learn that when a […]
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 were once thought to be messengers of witches. One owl in particular, the barn owl, takes the brunt of some […]
Sydney Oliveira, WMC Program Coordinator, brought Onslo (Blue Tongued Skink), a Wildlife Medical Clinic animal ambassador along on her visit to CiLiving. He is one of eleven ambassador animals that individuals may have the pleasure of meeting and learning about at the upcoming Vet Med Open House. The open house will take place Sunday, October […]
Join Kayla Buck, WMC Summer Ambassador Intern, and Emily Blum, WMC Summer Clinic Intern as they play some Wildlife Trivia on our most recent visit to CiLiving.
White-tailed Deer In addition to being named the state mammal, the white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) is the only native deer species present within Illinois and is the largest herbivore species in the state. As prey species, these animals commonly travel in herds and spend most of their day camouflaging within wooded areas and heavy brush. […]