The Janet L. Swanson Wildlife Hospital at Cornell University

11/26/2025

Wishing you a Thanksgiving holiday filled with joy and gratitude!

11/17/2025

We had a fantastic weekend at the annual conference in Corning, NY. Our team of six, comprised of two faculty veterinarians and four veterinary technicians, administered 6 lectures and two labs. As always, we love connecting in person with other wildlife professionals and building relationships that benefit the wild animals that need our help.

Most importantly, our very own Dr. Cindy Hopf-Dennis was awarded the 2025 New York State Wildlife Rehabilitation Council's Veterinarian of the Year Award!!🎉

11/10/2025

A core part of our mission is teaching, and our exciting new wildlife population health residency highlights the tremendous wildlife expertise here at Cornell University and the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. Check out how were are training future veterinary leaders in wildlife health!

The Cornell K. Lisa Yang Center for Wildlife Health (CYCWH) has launched a new residency in wildlife population health, building on the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM)'s leadership in preparing veterinarians to meet the urgent and evolving challenges facing our planet’s wil...

11/03/2025

10/16/2025

We are grateful for our veterinary technicians during the American Veterinary Medical Association's National Veterinary Technician Week, and EVERY DAY of the year.

They ensure exceptional compassionate care for our wild animal patients, share their wealth of knowledge and expertise with our veterinary students and trainees, and inspire us with their dedication, professionalism, and tireless advocacy for wildlife.

Alice, Tina, Niki, Maia (pictured), Meghan and Lindsey - thank you for all that you do!

10/13/2025

09/28/2025

Within the walls of our hospital, we see only one of the many steps that a wild animal often goes through from the time it is first found until it is released back to the wild. In late November 2024, one of our faculty veterinarians was fortunate enough to participate in many of the steps to recovery for a short-eared owl patient. When she was alerted by a family member about an owl on the ground in the front yard of an acquaintance, she drove over to help. She scooped up the short-eared owl that was laying in a ditch next to the road and brought it to the hospital for treatment of its broken wing. A couple of days later, she repaired the small bone at the tip of the owl’s wing that was fractured into multiple pieces. After several weeks of healing, followed by several more weeks of flight conditioning at Kindred Kingdoms Wildlife Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, Dr. Childs was thrilled to release the bird in the same location where it was found.

In New York State, short-eared owls are listed as endangered. Open grasslands that support populations of the small rodents that these owls hunt are essential for their survival and recovery. The Finger Lakes region, where this owl was found, is an area in NY where short-eared owls tend to concentrate in the winter. Now that it is fall again and migration is underway, we are hoping that this owl is on its way back home to the Finger Lakes!

09/08/2025

Fall migration is underway! This red-eyed vireo struck a window this morning and is recovering in our hospital.

You can help migrating birds have a safe passage by turning off excess lighting 💡 at night (especially outdoor lighting) and by making your windows 🪟more visible to birds.

07/29/2025

Congratulations to Dr. Cindy Hopf-Dennis on her recent publication in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association! An outstanding surgeon who has repaired countless wild bird fractures, she shares her expert recommendations for early postoperative management of wing fractures in this open-access Technical Tutorial Video.

https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/javma/aop/javma.25.04.0277/javma.25.04.0277.xml

07/19/2025

Fishing gear is a common cause of injury and entanglement in wildlife. In addition to caring for your own equipment properly, if you find monofilament line or other fishing equipment, please pick it up and recycle appropriately. And of course, keep an eye out for any wild animals that may affected and contact your local wildlife rehabilitator if you find an animal in need. Many of the animals that we see at the Swanson Wildlife Hospital require surgery and other extensive veterinary care due to the severity of their injuries.

07/11/2025

Grateful to for highlighting our work! Here are some more photos from that busy June day...

https://tompkinsweekly.com/articles/cornell-wildlife-hospital/

07/02/2025

Phew! We closed out June with this coyote pup and a total of 426 wild animals that visited the Swanson Wildlife Hospital for veterinary care. Ready for July!