VPM Digital

Every so often, an outbreak of human disease dominates the headlines. Before COVID-19, smaller outbreaks of ebola, West Nile virus and swine flu all spent plenty of time in the news. Many of these have clear connections to wildlife: 75 percent of newly emerging diseases in human beings are zoonotic, meaning they can be transmitted between humans and animals.

The hard work of wildlife conservation can happen in many settings. Sometimes it’s at the roadside, carefully collecting an injured animal. Or it might be in a veterinary hospital, cleaning wounds, X-raying wings or performing delicate surgeries.

The goal of wildlife rehabilitation is to release healthy, recovered animals back to their natural habitats as fully functioning wild animals. But what happens when animals can’t be released? Sometimes, they may be suitable for a new job: an education ambassador at the Wildlife Center of Virginia.

In wildlife rehabilitation, the goal is always to return a healthy animal to its natural habitat. Each species has very specific requirements for survival, and its natural habitat is one that offers the food, water, shelter and landscape it needs.

If you find a wild animal that seems sick, injured or orphaned, your first step is to determine whether you should intervene. An adult animal may feel threatened and become dangerously aggressive. A baby deer that looks abandoned might have a mother around the corner, and a juvenile squirrel might be perfectly fine on its own.

Join us each week for UNTAMED as Ed Clark, the staff at the The Wildlife Center of Virginia and other wildlife conservation professionals discuss the issues facing wildlife and what we can do to make a difference. UNTAMED premieres Thursday, April 1 at 8:00 p.m. on VPM PBS.

Watch “Why This Moment” on VPM PBS Tuesday, November 17 at 10pm.

Watch with your child Thursday, October 15 at 11 a.m. as Elmo and friends explore identities and race.

Passion Projects’ premieres Thursday, September 24 at 9 p.m. and explores how an idea to connect people across the world turned into “Portals” a living art project.

VPM is once again participating in the 23rd Annual Harrisonburg International Festival which will be held online from September 12 - 20. The virtual community event will include recorded performances by international community members, a list of food vendors offering take-out, and free downloadable kids’ activities.