The Wildlife Hospital of Louisiana

The Wildlife Hospital of Louisiana was founded in 1981 at the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine as the only full-service wildlife education, rehabilitation, and research facility in Louisiana.

Louisiana is home to 82 species of mammals, 444 species of birds, 85 species of reptiles, 51 species of amphibians, and 260 species of fish. During the winter, Louisiana is also a temporary home for many species of birds from Canada and the northern United States. The Wildlife Hospital of Louisiana treats and releases more than 1,800 of these native and migratory animals annually.

The mission of the Wildlife Hospital of Louisiana is to:

• Be the primary medical and surgical wildlife referral center in Louisiana and provide compassionate medical care for injured wildlife, with the goal of returning the animals to their natural habitat.

• Provide an educational resource for the citizens of Louisiana that focuses on the importance of wildlife conservation and on the relationship between humans and animals.

• Provide a quality educational experience in wildlife medicine, surgery, and rehabilitation for veterinary students.

• Preserve the biodiversity of Louisiana wildlife through scientific investigation and establishment of a conservation medicine research program.

The veterinary medical curriculum at LSU introduces students to the diagnosis and treatment of wildlife through the avian, zoo, exotic, and marine mammal courses. Students are exposed to all species of wildlife, including mammals, song-birds and raptors, reptiles, amphibians, and fish.

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Written by Angela Vanveckhoven | LSU School of Veterinary Medicine
Photos by Prather Warren | LSU Office of University Relations
August 2003

Related Links:

School of Veterinary Medicine
The Wildlife Hospital of Louisiana
Did you know?—LSU Facts

Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge, LA 70803
Internet 2 University Member