The Wild Bird Clinic

Clinic History

It all started with one man: Dr. Bruce Hunter. Dr Hunter volunteered his services to the Mountsberg Conservation Centre and the Owl Foundation. At that time, there were few veterinarians with either the expertise or interest in avian medicine. Finding it impractical to treat the birds on site, Dr. Hunter began treating them at the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph in Ontario, thus establishing the Wild Bird Clinic in 1981.

The fledgling Wild Bird Clinic grew with funding from the Max Bell Foundation and the World Wildlife Fund, and the first volunteers were enlisted by Jenny Kerr in 1982. Enid Rothman and Robin Lane (now Dr. Lane) helped initiate the volunteer program.

Initially located in the old swine surgery, the clinic office was later moved to two small rooms in the Central Animal Facility. Today, it is located in the Small Animal Clinic in the Ontario Veterinary College.

In 1989, the aviaries were constructed with the help of lumber donated by Nicholson Lumber and the hard work of dedicated volunteers. The aviaries provides permanent housing for our resident non-releasable birds, and also act as temporary housing for birds undergoing rehabilitation.

The WBC, a non-profit organization, that treated on average over 400 cases of wild injured birds each year. The clinic's primary goal has always been education: Starting in 1987, the clinic evolved to become a resource for teaching avian medicine and became part of the core avian field. In 1988, fourth year veterinary students spent a mandatory week rotation in the clinic, while today the clinic is an elective for the students. The WBC has since expanded to involved outreach programs which has reached thousands of children and adults alike.

The successful treatment and reintroduction of injured birds can be an expensive and time consuming process.