Wildlife animals in the state, especially the metro area, will soon have a place to get medical care. According to a news release, there is no wildlife hospital in Georgia staffed with specialist veterinarians.
CALL OF THE WILD, WILDLIFE HOSPITAL HEADED FOR CHATTAHOOCHEE HILLS
By LaTria Garnigan
South Fulton Neighbor
Published on 11/21/07
Wildlife animals in the state, especially the metro area, will soon have a place to get medical care. According to a news release, there is no wildlife hospital in Georgia staffed with specialist veterinarians. As a result, many sick, injured, orphaned, and nuisance wildlife may become unnecessarily euthanized by animal control agencies and nuisance animal trappers.
Fortunately, the Georgia Rehabilitation of Wildlife (GROW) Hospital and Clinical Research will be a medical facility to help care for these animals. The hospital will treat all types of wildlife including mammals, reptiles, birds, and amphibians, returning only excellent rehabilitation candidates to the wild according to a news release.
For those that have to be euthanized because of their condition, the center will use those species as research tools for the wildlife specialist veterinarians.
GROW is a nonprofit raising $3.5 million to build a wildlife hospital in the Chattahoochee Hill area near Cochran Mill Nature Center. “This will not be a nature center,” said Brenda Hudlow, President/Founder and Executive Director of GROW. “This building will be a wildlife specialist veterinary hospital.”
Ms. Hudlow added they will have a partnership with the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine. It will serve as a teaching and research facility for the UGA program.
On Jan. 18, GROW will host a fundraising gala at Georgia Aquarium’s Oceans Ballroom from 6 to 10 p.m. The featured guest will be Jack Hanna, animal enthusiast and host of TV’s “Jack Hanna’s Animal Adventures.” The event will feature cocktails, dinner and a live/silent auction, according to a news release.
“I’m thrilled to support GROW’s effort to build Georgia’s first wildlife specialist veterinary hospital,” said Hanna in a statement. “With areas like metro Atlanta expanding by the minute, we’re seeing more wild animals pushed into urban environments where many become injured.”
The proposed 11,000-square-foot facility will include examination rooms, surgery suite, radiography, animal wards, necropsy/pathology and laboratory rooms.
“We hope to somehow solve Georgia’s growing problem for wildlife and help raise awareness for the need of the center,” said Ms. Hudlow. “We can all come together and help on a larger scale.”
Along with partnering with UGA, the future center will also work with Cochran Mill Nature Center. The two organizations have agreed to partner on educational programs in a way that will benefit both. CMNC will be able to provide wildlife education to the general public that GROW feels is critically important, according to a news release. “We are excited about working with GROW,” said Maribeth Wansley, Executive Director of CMNC. “We know there is a need for a medical facility.”
