More about The Joburg Veterinary Hospital NPC
Many people would question why we need another non-profit wildlife organisation. Our Wildlife NPC is a first of its kind. It funds a wildlife veterinary hospital that exclusively treats indigenous wildlife, free of charge. The biggest difference is that we treat medium and small wildlife – most of the current NPOs fund conservation efforts focus on large wildlife i.e. rhino, elephant and lion. Smaller indigenous wildlife is often overlooked. Our hospital treats, rehabilitates and releases these animals back into the wild.
Some of the species we treat include: bats, owls, raptors, mongoose, pangolin, meerkat, serval, genet, hedgehogs, bush babies, garden birds, water birds and otter – to name but a few. Often these injured/compromised animals are taken to the nearest veterinary practice for treatment. Most often the veterinarian on duty does not have the expertise or the time to treat a particular species and many times these animals get inadequate care (medical, diet and husbandry). Even our 24 hour veterinary facilities are not equipped to handle wildlife as this is not their speciality.
The few veterinarians that are able to treat wildlife do so almost always on a pro-bono basis, something that is not always viable in the current economy. We wanted a veterinary hospital that only treats wildlife – on a full time basis. All of the currently registered wildlife rehabilitation centres do not have a veterinarian on site. Our hospital has a dedicated veterinarian present on a full time basis. The rehabilitation part of the hospital is run and overseen by a wildlife rehabilitation specialist, and we regularly train final year veterinarian students as well as experienced veterinarians in our approach to the treatment and rehabilitation of indigenous wildlife.
Some of the species we treat include: bats, owls, raptors, mongoose, pangolin, meerkat, serval, genet, hedgehogs, bush babies, garden birds, water birds and otter – to name but a few. Often these injured/compromised animals are taken to the nearest veterinary practice for treatment. Most often the veterinarian on duty does not have the expertise or the time to treat a particular species and many times these animals get inadequate care (medical, diet and husbandry). Even our 24 hour veterinary facilities are not equipped to handle wildlife as this is not their speciality.
The few veterinarians that are able to treat wildlife do so almost always on a pro-bono basis, something that is not always viable in the current economy. We wanted a veterinary hospital that only treats wildlife – on a full time basis. All of the currently registered wildlife rehabilitation centres do not have a veterinarian on site. Our hospital has a dedicated veterinarian present on a full time basis. The rehabilitation part of the hospital is run and overseen by a wildlife rehabilitation specialist, and we regularly train final year veterinarian students as well as experienced veterinarians in our approach to the treatment and rehabilitation of indigenous wildlife.
Meet The DIRECTORS
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Dr Karin Lourens
Dr K qualified in 2002 and practiced as a small animal veterinary surgeon. Her interest in wildlife started in 2012 when she became a volunteer at the FreeMe Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre in Johannesburg. It began with just a few hours each week and has steadily grown into a full-blown passion. It is here that she realised that there was a need for a full-time veterinarian at a wildlife rehabilitation centre. Together with wildlife rehabilitation specialist, Nicci Wright, she created the Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital. The hospital is a fully registered and permitted veterinary hospital as well as a wildlife rehabilitation centre. Dr K has also completed a MSc degree (Cum Laude) which focused on the normal serum chemistry and haematology levels in the Temminck’s ground pangolin. |
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Nicci Wright
Nicci Wright is an independent wildlife rehabilitation specialist with over 20 years practical experience. Nicci Wright is a founder/director of the Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital NPC which specialises in the treatment and rehabilitation of indigenous wildlife. She has worked with more than 350 different species of indigenous birds, mammals and reptiles and her expertise lies in a range of rehabilitation areas such as diagnosing, treatments and care, wildlife behaviour and release techniques. Over the years, she has managed and been part of several large rescues involving oiled waterbirds, poisonings and mass roost collapses. An integral part of wildlife rehabilitation is collecting various data and contributing this to research and science and Nicci enjoys these national and international collaborations. She has compiled various training modules which cover several aspects of Wildlife Rehabilitation and also co-presents workshops on Compassion Fatigue to veterinarians and other animal care professionals. With her particular species of interest being otter, honey badger and pangolin, Nicci Wright is a member of the IUCN SSC Otter Specialist Group, the African Otter Advisory Group and the IUCN SSC Pangolin Specialist Group. She is a founding director of the African Pangolin Working Group and holds the office of Executive Director of that NGO. Nicci is the Wildlife Project Manager of the Humane Society International – Africa NPO. |
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All treatment of wildlife is free of charge and we rely solely on the support of our community and corporate sponsors.
PLEASE SUPPORT US AND HELP US KEEP WILDLIFE WILD!
PLEASE SUPPORT US AND HELP US KEEP WILDLIFE WILD!
