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The Wildlife Treatment Center

The Wildlife Treatment Center was established at the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine to provide medical treatment and care for injured wildlife. Birds, turtles, squirrels and other injured creatures receive the most advanced care from our zoological medical specialists, along with ophthalmologists, radiologists, and surgeons and students. Once the animals have recovered, they are released to licensed rehabilitators or into their natural environment following strict guidelines set by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

What animals do we treat?

The center accepts a variety of injured wildlife, except venomous reptiles or animals which may be infected with rabies and are likely to bite people — raccoons, foxes, coyotes or skunks — or deer or other large animals. Although the center cannot accept uninjured orphaned young, the Department of Natural Resources (706.557.3035) can provide a list of wildlife rehabilitators.

What is the best way to handle injured animals?

If you find an injured animal, it is best to wear gloves and cover it with a towel before picking it up. Transport it by placing it in a covered, ventilated cardboard box. Be sure to call 706.542.3221 before bringing any animal to the hospital. If you find an uninjured orphaned animal, it is best to leave it be. Its parents are usually nearby waiting for you to leave so that they can care for their offspring.

Who pays for the medical care?

The teaching hospital spends thousand of dollars every year on the care and treatment of injured wildlife. People who bring in injured animals usually do not (or cannot) pay for the animal's treatment. The center receives no federal, state or local government funds to cover this expense.

How can you help?

Funding is dependent on the generosity of animal lovers like you who care enough to rescue wild animals. Our veterinarians and students who work in the center donate their time without compensation. Please help us with a donation to the Kate Grant Wildlife Fund.

GIBSON the Great Horned Owl

In March 2006, Gibson, unable to fly or stand properly, was found by a good samaritan and brought to the Wildlife Treatment Crew for care. A physical exam revealed a fractured left tibia (broken leg). X-rays confirmed a severe fracture of his leg and his clavicle, a shoulder bone that helps him to fly.

Facts about Great Horned Owls
Size — largest of the owls; females are bigger than the males within the species; weigh 2-4 lbs.
Color — a variety of colors, ranging from reddish brown to black to gray to white; backs are usually darker feathers while undersides are lighter. Also have yellow-orange eyes and little protruding tufts of feathers that resemble horns.
Habitat — North America to parts of South America. Nocturnal animals, most active at dusk and dawn.
Food — eat many different types of prey, including rodents (preference), fish, frogs, and some birds.

The veterinarians decided to fix the broken leg while letting the shoulder heal on its own. After five hours of surgery, an external fixator — a metal contraption consisting of four pins and two rods to hold the bones — was placed on Gibson’s leg to hold the bones in the right position.

Gibson came out of surgery in great shape and was even hungry enough to eat two whole mice that night! Gibson required extensive pain and anti-infection medications. Recovery of the leg was a little slow initially with very little use of his leg or his talons, but as time passed he was able to bear more weight on it and get strength back in his grip.

Finally after five weeks of resting in his cage, Gibson’s external fixator was removed. Aside from loss of feathers, which will take a long time to grow back, the leg looks pretty close to normal. His clavicle fracture seems to have healed well too — he can flap his wings just fine!

Although he is doing well and recovering quickly, Gibson still has a long road ahead to a full recovery. He will need to practice flying and catching prey again. The goal is to move him out of the hospital and into a facility better adapted to for his reintroduction into the wild.

This page was last reviewed on April 2, 2012.