Located a short drive to the east of Cornell’s main campus, on Hungerford Hill, the Janet L. Swanson Wildlife Hospital is a hidden treasure, providing lifesaving medical care for native wild animals. The hospital provides this valuable service free of charge to residents of surrounding communities and across New York state.

The majority of patients are rescued by kind-hearted people who find an injured animal and transport it to the hospital for emergency care. About 70 percent of patients are avian species, 25 percent are mammals, and 5 percent are reptiles and amphibians.

“We are unique in that we are essentially an emergency hospital where patients present as needed around the clock, without prior appointments,” says Sara Childs-Sanford DVM ’99, assistant professor of zoological medicine at the College of Veterinary Medicine, and chief of service of the Janet L. Swanson Wildlife Hospital.

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