A wholehearted thank you to everyone who has already added their support to this important cause; seeing the petition hit 1000 was thrilling! It is so important that we spread the word and let the university and world know that wildlife medicine is essential.
Veterinary students were recently updated from the WCVM about the wildlife closure in response to emails sent to the college voicing concerns. The college has responded that the closure is part of a planned review on wildlife and that the decision will not impact the WCVM learning experience or the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) curriculum. No final decision has been made yet. While there are many opportunities for students to seek exposure to clinical wildlife medicine, removing wildlife removes a lower budget experience at the school they will be spending most of their 4th-year clinical rotations. The WCVM prides itself on providing comprehensive veterinary medical training to its students on a variety of species. Help us keep it this well-rounded by letting the college know the VMC should resume wildlife medicine with the rest of ZEW services on August 17th. ZEW clinicians should be able to continue treating the wildlife of the province while the university conducts their review.
To stress again—not only is this important for veterinary training, but also to public health, licensed wildlife rehabilitators, and the animals themselves. Government funding towards wildlife conservation and rehabilitation is already sorely lacking. As part of the University of Saskatchewan, the WCVM’s VMC has a larger voice than provincial non-for-profit organizations working hard to protect Saskatchewan’s wild animals. Urge them that the VMC needs to reopen wildlife services while the WCVM conducts its review, to ensure that there is still support for the many beautiful animal species native to Saskatchewan.
**
Please share this petition with the people you know. Help us get the message out that the VMC must continue to practice wildlife medicine and admit in-need animals through their doors.
**
Looking for other ways to help?
-->Write to your local MLA urging the government to allocate more funding towards wildlife medicine, rehabilitation, and conservation!
-->Share your thoughts in support of wildlife on social media and to the University of Saskatchewan administration!
-->Follow local accounts on social media that are working hard to spread the word on the urgency and necessity of wildlife medicine, rehabilitation, and conservation! For example, @becomingpigeonvet and @livingskywildliferehab based out of Saskatoon (home of the WCVM and VMC)
-->Donate to your local licensed wildlife rehabilitation facility!
Photo Taken by Alyssa Meili at Living Sky Wildlife Rehabilitation