3 minute read
Conserving, Protecting and Celebrating Wildlife
Conserving, Protecting and Celebrating Wildlife
By Annie Bradfield
Few people realize that the region is so fortunate in having Blue Ridge Wildlife Center—one of the top, and one of only a few wildlife hospitals in the Mid-Atlantic.
Veterinary training in wildlife care is highly specialized, which is why veterinarians around the country travel to BRWC in Boyce to spend time training with Hospital Director Jennifer Riley, D.V.M. and the rest of her team.
BRWC began in 2000 as a hotline offering advice on how to assist injured, sick, or orphaned wildlife. Over the decades, it’s evolved into the region’s premier wildlife facility and the only wildlife veterinary teaching hospital in Northern Virginia.
In addition to saving injured wildlife through medical care, rehabilitation and return to the wild, Riley and her team also research diseases such as avian flu, West Nile virus, and rabies. They study tick species in this area and tick borne illnesses and they work with other wildlife officials across the state and the U.S. as well as educational facilities like Virginia Tech to get this research published and in the hands of those who can use it to make crucial decisions regarding public health.
“Many people don’t realize the important role that wildlife centers like ours play in monitoring diseases that impact humans in addition to wildlife,” Riley said. “With diseases like avian flu now being seen in mammals, including humans, it’s critical that we closely monitor our patients and track any illness.”
Each year, BRWC cares for more than 3,500 patients while also fostering a deeper understanding of wildlife’s role in the ecosystem through education programs and research. BRWC also runs a number of programs for children and adults and teaches them how to best respect and care for wildlife.
On Sept. 28, BRWC will hold its largest annual fundraiser at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley, in Winchester. Attendees will have the opportunity to experience cocktails in the museum’s cultivated sculpture gardens where BRWC’s animal ambassadors will also be available to greet them.
Dinner will follow featuring locally-sourced ingredients and then a live auction with unique, high-quality and well-curated items. Funds raised are crucial for BRWC, which operates without government funding, relying solely on private donations and fundraising events.
In addition, BRWC holds Porch Parties at its facility throughout the year. There’s no cost to attend and participants get a chance to see the Wildlife Walk (an outside area with the BRWC Ambassador animals). Education Director, C.J. White demonstrates the raptor ambassador’s skills and unique adaptations and explains the process he goes through to get the birds ready to take out to schools.
Porch Party attendees also get a chance to tour the clinic and hear from the veterinarians on how they manage their wildlife patients. All events provide a great opportunity for the community to learn more about local wildlife, protecting the eco-system and how they can get involved with BRWC.
Annie Bradfield is executive director of the Blue Ridge Wildlife Center. For more www.blueridgewildlifectr.org
