Ohio Wildlife Center

SUPPORT NATIVE OHIO WILDLIFE THROUGH REHABILITATION, EDUCATION AND WILDLIFE HEALTH STUDIES.

1. WILDLIFE REHABILITATIONA. CARING FOR ILL, INJURED AND ORPHANED WILDLIFE WITH THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF THEIR HEALTHY RELEASE BACK INTO THE WILD IS THE CORE OF OHIO WILDLIFE CENTER'S SERVICE. IN 2021, WE ADMITTED 8,030 ANIMALS FOR CARE, WITH PEAKS OF 80-100 ANIMALS ADMITTED PER DAY IN MAY AND JUNE. ABOUT ONE QUARTER OF ALL ADMISSIONS ARE ORPHANED BABY ANIMALS, WHO REQUIRE INTENSIVE CARE FROM OUR TEAM OF VOLUNTEERS TO GROW STRONG ENOUGH TO BE RELEASED. THIS IS THE FIRST LEADING CAUSE OF ANIMALS BEING PRESENTED TO US. ANOTHER 38% OF ADMISSIONS ARE A RESULT OF SOME HUMAN OR URBAN HAZARD, LIKE INTERACTIONS WITH DOMESTIC ANIMALS, COLLISIONS, AND INAPPROPRIATE POSSESSION. DOMESTIC CAT ATTACKS ARE THE SECOND LEADING CAUSE OF ADMISSION OVERALL.B. OUR PROFESSIONAL VETERINARY AND VOLUNTEER TEAM IS ABLE TO PROVIDE A RANGE OF CARE, FROM BLOOD DIAGNOSTICS AND XRAYS TO MEDICATIONS AND SPLINTS. EVERY ANIMAL RECEIVES A COMPREHENSIVE EVALUATION TO DETERMINE THEIR BEST CARE PLAN, ALTHOUGH THEIR JOURNEY FROM OUR HOSPITAL TO THE WILD CAN TAKE MANY DIFFERENT PATHS. WE PARTNER WITH SEVERAL VOLUNTEERS PLUS TWO LOCAL CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS TO CARE FOR ANIMALS OFFSITE, USUALLY OUR MAMMALS THAT REQUIRE LOTS OF SPACE OR BABIES THAT REQUIRE LOTS OF ATTENTION. WE ALSO OPERATE A PRE-RELEASE FACILITY IN POWELL, OH THAT REPLICATES NATURAL ENVIRONMENTS FOR ANIMALS ON THE LAST LEG OF THEIR JOURNEY. VOLUNTEERS SEE TO BASIC NEEDS LIKE FOOD AND MONITOR ANIMALS FOR KEY BEHAVIORS TO ENSURE THEY'RE HEALTHY ENOUGH TO RELEASE.C. ABOUT 35% OF OUR ANIMALS RETURN TO THE WILD, WITH MORE THAN 70% OF THOSE WHO SURVIVE THEIR FIRST 24 HOURS BEING RELEASED. WE BELIEVE IT'S IMPORTANT TO ACCEPT ANIMALS OF ALL SPECIES AND CONDITIONS, BUT THE UNFORTUNATE TRUTH IS THAT MANY CASES ARE TOO SEVERE TO SUCCEED. THIS IS WHY WE'RE SO THANKFUL FOR THE SUPPORT OF OUR GROWING COMMUNITY OF DONORS AND VOLUNTEERS - THEIR HELP ENSURES THAT WE DO EVERYTHING POSSIBLE FOR OUR ANIMALS.2. SCRAM! WILDLIFE CONTROLA. SCRAM! WILDLIFE CONTROL WAS ESTABLISHED AS A SOCIAL ENTERPRISE PROGRAM OF OHIO WILDLIFE CENTER TO BOTH PROVIDE THE COMMUNITY WITH A HUMANE ALTERNATIVE TO CONVENTIONAL ANIMAL CONTROL SERVICES AND BOLSTER FUNDS AVAILABLE TO SUPPORT OUR WILDLIFE HOSPITAL. SCRAM! FOCUSES ON NON-LETHAL SOLUTIONS TO UNWANTED WILD ANIMALS IN RESIDENTIAL AND BUSINESS PROPERTIES, RELYING ON LONG-TERM EXCLUSION RATHER THAN TRAPPING AND EUTHANASIA. B. THE SCRAM! TEAM RESPONDED TO 756 SERVICE CALLS THROUGHOUT 2021, PLUS PROVIDED ROUTINE SERVICE THROUGH 6 AGREEMENTS WITH LOCAL CORPORATIONS AND MUNICIPALITIES. EXCLUSION SERVICES WERE TAILORED TO 13 DIFFERENT SPECIES, WITH THE TOP 3 MOST SEEN SPECIES BEING EASTERN GRAY SQUIRRELS, RACCOONS, AND BATS.C. AS PART OF OHIO WILDLIFE CENTER, SCRAM! SHARES A CLOSE RELATIONSHIP WITH OUR WILDLIFE HOSPITAL. OF ALL 2021'S SERVICE CALLS, 109 WERE CALLS TO RESCUE AN ILL OR INJURED ANIMAL, ALL OF WHICH WERE BROUGHT TO THE HOSPITAL FOR FURTHER CARE. WHILE THE CENTER HAS A STRONG TEAM OF RESCUE VOLUNTEERS FOR CALLS LIKE THIS, SCRAM! IS ABLE TO PROVIDE AN IMMEDIATE RESPONSE FOR CLIENTS WILLING TO PAY A FEE RATHER THAN WAIT FOR AN AVAILABLE VOLUNTEER.3. WILDLIFE & CONSERVATION EDUCATION PROGRAMSA. SOMETIMES PREVENTION IS THE BEST SOLUTION; OHIO WILDLIFE CENTER LEANS HEAVILY INTO THIS PHILOSOPHY AS WE SEE ADMISSIONS TO OUR WILDLIFE HOSPITAL GROW AS CENTRAL OHIO GROWS AND WILD ANIMALS ARE EXPOSED TO MORE URBAN THREATS. WE BELIEVE THAT GREATER APPRECIATION AND UNDERSTANDING OF WILD ANIMALS CAN HELP PREVENT HARMFUL INTERACTIONS AND INSPIRE PEOPLE TO TAKE BETTER CARE OF THEIR ENVIRONMENT ON BEHALF OF OUR WILD ANIMALS.B. WE OFFER EDUCATION PROGRAMS FOR ALL AGES, FROM PRESCHOOL SUMMER CAMP TO SCHOLARLY TALKS ABOUT CONSERVATION WITH PROFESSIONAL CLUBS. IN 2021, STAFF AND VOLUNTEER WILDLIFE EDUCATORS PROVIDED 271 PRESENTATIONS TO BOTH OFF-SITE CLUBS, SCHOOLS AND CONVENTIONS AS WELL AS ON-SITE TOURS AND EVENTS. SUMMER SAW 170 UNIQUE CAMPERS JOIN US ON OUR EDUCATION CAMPUS ACROSS 10 WEEKS OF PROGRAMMING. TWO WEEKS STAND OUT IN PARTICULAR. IN EARLY JULY, WE HOSTED A CAMP FROM HOME FOR FAMILIES, DESIGNED TO HELP CHILDREN WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED HOMELESSNESS IN CENTRAL OHIO'S URBAN CORE EXPLORE OUR 20-ACRE NATURE PRESERVE AND ENCOUNTER OUR RESIDENT WILDLIFE. WE THEN HOSTED A TEEN CAMP IN LATE JULY, WHERE PARTICIPANTS WERE ABLE TO EXPERIENCE DIRECT ANIMAL CARE AND LEARN ABOUT JOBS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES.C. ALL PROGRAMS ARE SUPPORTED BY OUR COLLECTION OF 64 ANIMALS AMBASSADORS REPRESENTING MANY OF OHIO'S NATIVE SPECIES. ALL OF OUR AMBASSADORS WERE PATIENTS OF OUR HOSPITAL AND BECAME PART OF OUR COLLECTION WHEN THEY WERE DIAGNOSED AS NON-RELEASABLE, EITHER DUE TO A PERMANENT INJURY THAT AFFECTS THEIR ABILITY TO HUNT SUCCESSFULLY OR BECAUSE THEY HAD ALREADY HABITUATED TO HUMAN CARE. THESE ANIMALS ARE PERMANENT RESIDENTS OF OHIO WILDLIFE CENTER AND ARE CARED FOR EVERY DAY BY OUR EDUCATION STAFF, AS WELL AS ROTATING INTERNS FROM OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH OTTERBEIN UNIVERSITY.