We couldn’t do what we do without our phenomenal managers! Check out this video to hear from Chloe Dupleix, Brianna Huff, and Tyson Jenkins as they talk about their experiences at the Wildlife Medical Clinic and what it’s like to be a manager.
February is the month when we show love to those who are important to us. Here are some ways to show love to the wildlife in your local neighborhood:
1. Provide a habitat that is welcoming to wildlife.
You can attract wildlife to your property by ensuring the environment is welcoming to the animals. One way to accomplish this is by growing native plants in your garden. Native plants will attract an assortment of pollinators including bees, butterflies, and birds, which will in-turn make your garden thrive. Native plants can also provide food and shelter for other wildlife. Recommendations for native Illinois plants to attract wildlife can be found here: https://extension.illinois.edu/blogs/good-growing/2022-09-15-attracting-wildlife-native-plants
It is also important to note that pesticides can be deadly to many of our wildlife species, including our pollinators. It is best to limit pesticide use and avoid application of any pesticides to plants when any animal or insect is nearby. The US environmental protection agency lists a variety of resources to assist in reducing pesticide impacts on animals. More information about this can be found here: https://www.epa.gov/safepestcontrol/tips-reducing-pesticide-impacts-wildlife
Another way to welcome wildlife to your neighborhood is to have bird houses on your property. This can be a great opportunity to provide shelter, warmth, and nesting options for the birds near you. The National Wildlife Federation has recommendations on how to choose the right bird house here: https://www.nwf.org/Magazines/National-Wildlife/2010/Best-Bird-Houses
2. Do not feed wildlife
It can be really tempting to feed wild animals, especially the cute opossums or raccoons that
may show up on your back porch. However, we strongly advise you not to do this. This is because when a human feeds a wild animal, the animal then becomes unafraid of human interaction. This loss of fear can lead to dependency on humans for food instead of hunting for the food themselves. If the human then moves away from that location, they have left the wild animal with the inability to fend for itself, making it an easier target for predators. Additionally, a loss of fear in humans, leads wildlife to move into suburban areas where there is increased motor vehicle activity and more chance of an animal being hit, which leads to an increase in wildlife injury and death.
Bird feeders are the one exception to this. These feeders can be beneficial to birds, especially in extreme temperature changes when resources may be scarce. However, it is important to be sure to clean your feeder frequently and ensure that there is no current outbreak of Highly pathogenic avian influenza in your area; doing so can prevent the transmission of infections to other birds in your area.
3. Leave the animals alone.
If an animal is not injured or obviously orphaned, it is always best to leave the animals alone. This may occasionally be difficult to determine depending on the species, especially since wildlife animals like to hide any signs that they are sick or injured. Besides obvious signs of injury like “hit by a car,” and “visible blood,” an animal may show less obvious signs that they may be sick or injured including:
– The animal is not able to perform its normal behavior. Hawks are supposed to fly, and squirrels are supposed to easily climb trees. If the animal cannot do these normal actions, then they could be sick or injured.
– The animal is not afraid of humans and doesn’t evade capture. Wild animals are fearful of humans because they view us as predators that they need to escape from. Usually this means that the animal won’t be in the same location as humans; they will prefer to be as far away as possible from human interaction. If an animal is not showing fear of you when you approach it or if you see an animal in an area closer to humans, this could be a sign of sickness or injury.
To the untrained eye, it may also be difficult to determine if a baby animal is orphaned. One thing to keep in mind is that every species interacts with their young in different ways and at different times of the day. Therefore, just because you don’t see the mom, doesn’t mean the animal is an orphan. For example, mother rabbits will only return to the den twice a day- once in the morning and once after dusk. If you find a rabbit den filled with babies, it is best to leave the babies alone, unless injured, and observe to see if mom has returned later in the day. This can be done by placing leaves or twigs over the den; if mom has returned, you will notice that the leaves have been disturbed.
For more information on what to do if you find an animal in need, visit our website at https://vetmed.illinois.edu/wildlife/hospital/wildlife-medical-clinic/resources-wildlife-fun-facts/. We are also available via phone or e-mail if you have any questions about a potential orphaned or injured animal. Please feel free to reach out to us at the Wildlife medical clinic via phone at 217-244-1195 or via e-mail at wmcchair@vetmed.illinois.edu. One of our volunteers will be able to answer your questions and advise on the best plan of action for the animal that you found
Petunia, a Virginia Opossum, was brought to the Wildlife Medical Clinic in May of 2022 as a joey, which is the term used to describe a baby opossum. A Good Samaritan rescued her and her siblings after their mother was hit by a car. While her siblings were eventually transferred to a Licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator to be released when they were old enough, Petunia was kept at the Wildlife Medical Clinic.
Petunia stayed behind because she was missing her left eye. Based on her age, we determined this was more than likely a birth defect and not an injury, but this unfortunately would make her less likely to survive in the wild and not a good candidate for release. Having one eye affects her depth perception, which leaves her more vulnerable to predation and could increase her chances of being struck by a vehicle while trying to cross a road. Because of this, her young age, good health, and calm demeanor, we made the decision to have her join our Wildlife Ambassador program.
At the Wildlife Medical Clinic, she was initially fed several times a day with formula and then transitioned onto solid food when she was old enough. Once it was determined that she was non-releasable and her siblings were transferred out, we were able to start working more with Petunia to get her acclimated to humans. Petunia is now scale and harness trained and is becoming more and more comfortable around her animal care staff as they work with her daily.
Fun Facts:
• Virginia Opossums are the only marsupial in North America.
• Virginia Opossums have the most teeth (50) of any North American mammal!
• Virginia Opossum are nocturnal, which means they are active at night and sleep during the day.
• While it is common in movies and other depictions to see opossums hanging by their tails, this isn’t very common in real life. Especially not in adult opossums, who primarily use their tail for balance and collecting nesting materials.
• They use the nesting material to pad their sleeping areas and help conceal themselves while they are sleeping.
• While most animals will leave their young unattended periodically throughout the day while they feed, that is not the case with opossum. Opossum moms always stay with their offspring, but unfortunately if one falls off their back or out of their pouch, they don’t always realize and will keep moving. Therefore, if you find an opossum joey less than 7 inches in size, separated from mom, the best thing to do is take it to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator as mom is not coming back for it.
The veterinary students at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine are some of the most driven and goal-oriented people I have ever met. Knowing this, I wanted to ask my fellow Wildlife Medical Clinic volunteers what their resolutions were for the new year. More specifically what their goals were related to the WMC, so I posed the following question, “What are your New Year’s Resolutions for your time in the WMC?” Here are some answers from our dedicated volunteers:
Allison Wallace, VM 24:
My New Year’s Resolution for my time with the WMC is to have an owl as a patient and to participate in its successful rehabilitation and release. I would also like to participate in a surgical procedure.
Danielle Money, VM 24:
I want to make the best of my last two months in the clinic. I have enjoyed my time as a volunteer so much and I am sincerely going to miss it. (Third year students will be moving on from the program in March of 2023 as they start clinical rotations).
Billy Wright, VM 24:
I want to help a first-year student confidently triage an incoming patient on their own.
Brianna Huff, VM 25, soon to be senior WMC student manager:
My goal is to make sure the incoming manager feels welcomed and has the resources necessary to start the year off right!
Tyson Jenkins, VM 26, soon to be junior WMC student manager:
I would like to improve my ability to formulate a treatment and diagnostic plan based off the findings of the triage exam. I also want to sharpen my blood drawing skills on smaller patients.
Christina Parsnick, VM 25:
I want to work on my ophthalmic exam skills!
Jacquelyn Merx, VM 26:
I want to keep sharing knowledge about wildlife through social media and conversations with friends, family, and others. This will help increase knowledge and awareness on issues animals face and help people learn when to help and how to help.
I also want to learn more about reptiles and amphibians this year. Besides turtles, I really don’t know much about these animals. We recently had a salamander come through the clinic and it made me realize that I need to become more familiar with our local reptiles and amphibians and their care. This will allow me to give them the best care possible and to help educate others in the future.
Haley Kenyon, VM 25:
Unfortunately, I have had a string of cases where the animals are so severely injured or ill that the most appropriate and compassionate measure to take was humane euthanasia. Due to this, I am hopeful that I will receive a case where the animal is able to be successfully rehabilitated and then released back into the wild.
Fayth Kim, VM 24:
As a team leader, I want to make the best out of the year and help the students on my team feel more comfortable making treatment plans for their patients.
Hassan Hanna, VM 25:
My top three resolutions are to be a primary case manager caring for a North American River Otter, to be well rounded and knowledgeable about wildlife and to be able to rattle off random bird facts at dinner. I would also like to strengthen some of my clinical skills including blood draws, diagnostic methods, and sample collection.
Amanda Wong, DVM, ZCA Resident II:
I would like to participate in more surgical procedures with students to help them feel more comfortable with potentially complex treatment options for wildlife.
As for myself, my WMC New Year’s Resolution is to continue to improve the program as the current senior student manager. I hope those that follow in my footsteps feel comfortable taking on the role of the manager and enjoy being in the position they hold. We are all excited to see what the new year has in store for us at the Wildlife Medical Clinic!
Written by Chloe Dupleix, current senior WMC student manager.
We are excited to announce our new incoming junior manager: Tyson Jenkins, class of 2026. Over the next 8 weeks, he will be training alongside our current managers so that he is ready to fill his manager role in March, when our current senior manager, Chloe Dupleix, heads off to clinics.
We wanted to learn a little more about Tyson, so we asked him a few questions that you can see below!
I grew up in South Elgin, IL, and then lived in Oak Park, IL for two years. I attended Roosevelt University in Chicago, where I received my Bachelor of Science in Biology, with a concentration in conservation biology and a chemistry minor in August 2021.
My entire life, I’ve been surrounded by animals. From dogs to fish to a cockatiel that’s older than I am (and still going strong), my family has always had a wide variety of pets. I started working with animals in an official capacity when I was 16 years old, as a caretaker for a park district ambassador program mainly focused on rescued reptiles and amphibians. I stayed there until the program was closed indefinitely to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Knowing I wanted to work with animals in some capacity, I applied for a kennel technician position at a veterinary clinic. It was there that I fell in love with the profession and decided that veterinary medicine was the path for me. I ended up taking a gap year to strengthen my vet school application, working in various roles at multiple clinics in the Chicagoland area.
I am interested in zoological and wildlife medicine with a focus on conservation. I absolutely love all the weird, wild, and wonderful animals that aren’t often in the spotlight, and the unique challenges their care poses. Now, more than ever, these animals need conscientious human intervention to circumvent extinction, and my goal is to be at the forefront of this process.
There are very few opportunities for vet students to practice hands-on clinical medicine in their first two-three years of school, and even fewer opportunities to practice on non-traditional species. The WMC offers those exceptional opportunities in an environment dedicated to safe learning. I’ll never forget catching a raptor on my very first day in the clinic, or the joy I felt the first time one of my patients was released. Even if you don’t want to focus on wildlife in your future career, the WMC teaches you the skills you need to manage any case.
Every single time I walk into the WMC I learn something new. I’ve only spent one semester there, but the skills and knowledge I have gained have been invaluable, and I know I’ve only just started to scratch the surface. The community of students and faculty working behind the scenes at the clinic inspires me every day to do more, learn more, and teach more. The manager position is an opportunity not only to do those things, but also to lend a hand in making the clinic, the local community, and the world a better place.
One of my favorite patients was a juvenile Virginia opossum that was found in a local home improvement store with symmetrical abrasions and lacerations along his face, gums, and front feet. We suspected he had gotten his face stuck in some sort of trap and had hurt himself escaping, because he was otherwise very healthy and quite feisty. He was started on antibiotics and pain meds as well as cold laser therapy, a treatment that stimulates wound healing. After two weeks of care his wounds had healed and he was released back into the wild!
As winter creeps in, bringing its brisk winds and snowy skies, this feature is about one animal who does not mind these chills! The snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus) which is an Arctic species that periodically may be seen in Illinois during the winter months. Their characteristic white feathers and dark flecks are perfect in camouflaging this bird in the white winter snow. With a close eye or maybe some binoculars to help, you might be lucky enough to spot a snowy owl this winter. This species migrates south from the Arctic, coming as far as central Illinois in search of food. While they do not have consistent migration patterns like many other species of bird in Illinois, the snowy owl movements can be described as irruptions. This occurs after an increase in food availability causes an increase in breeding, and thus population growth. As their population increases, owls must fly longer distances in search of available food in less crowded hunting grounds.
Now you might be wondering how you can best increase your chances of spotting one of these mysterious winter owls! They are often found in prairies, fields, or lake edges where they can easily spot their prey running across the snow-covered ground. While they typically feed on small prey such as lemmings and voles, they will not turn down larger prey such as ducks and artic hare. Snowy owls are a diurnal species, meaning they are active during daylight hours, which will help increase your chances of seeing one. In Illinois, we get an occasional visitor near the Champaign-Urbana area, but they are more common closer to Lake Michigan by Montrose Harbor.
The Wildlife Medical Clinic has had the privilege of aiding in the care and rehabilitation of these mighty owls the past two winters! While they are a magnificent sight to see, we are grateful for all the unique Illinois wildlife that makes their way into our areas seasonally. Keep your eyes peeled! The snowy owl does not stay long before making its way back to the Arctic to nest before spring comes.
Written by Ellie Petree, class of 2024.
Watch Dr. Sam Sander and Sydney Oliveira on ciLiving as they talk about the past year at the Wildlife Medical Clinic in terms of how many and what animals we saw and who all helped with this effort!