PROGRESS AND EXPANSION into previously undisturbed areas have placed increased external pressures on wild animal populations, and the number of injured wildlife cases will rise as land within the South is developed.
With board-certified specialists available in many areas of veterinary medicine, clinicians at the Wildlife Hospital of Louisiana are uniquely positioned to deliver the utmost in care for wild animals.
Wildlife cases can be dropped off at the LSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital's Small Animal Clinic during regular business hours (8 a.m.-5 p.m.). We can accept wildlife cases between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m., but no later than 10 p.m. We can also accept cases on weekends (prior to 10 p.m.).
The LSU School of Veterinary Medicine's Wildlife Hospital of Louisiana currently accepts more than 1,700 wild mammals, birds, and reptiles annually, with a 15% increase in case load anticipated each year. We do not charge a fee to the Good Samaritans who bring in these sick and injured animals; the Wildlife Hospital provides this medical care from funds donated to the Wildlife Hospital. To find out how you can support our mission, please contact Betty Karlsson, executive director for institutional advancement, at 225-578-9870 or bkarlsson@lsu.edu.
To make a donation, you can also click on the "Give Now" button on this page.
OUR MISSION
Our mission is to carry out conservation medicine by providing veterinary care for injured wildlife, conduct conservation research, and educate the public about wildlife conservation in the state of Louisiana.
Our three primary focal areas are:
- Conservation: We provide veterinary care for injured native wildlife from Louisiana and surrounding states. The ultimate goal of our conservation medicine efforts are to rehabilitate and release animals back to the wild so they can contribute to the wild populations.
- Research: We carry out research projects at the state, national, and international level with a focus on wildlife preservation and conservation.
- Education: We provide veterinary students with educational opportunities in the field of wildlife medicine. The skills learned by these students while working with wildlife species are directly applicable to captive exotic species and are part of their training for becoming skilled veterinarians. In addition we carry out educational presentations aimed at the general public in the state of Louisiana. This presentations carry the message of wildlife conservation and provide an avenue for children and adults to become aware of the issues that affect our native wildlife species.