Soins prodigués à un héron
The Wild Fauna Clinic cares for birds, terrestrial mammals, reptiles and amphibians of the indigenous wild fauna, living freely in the various French ecosystems. Animals admitted are discovered in distress in the wild and entrusted to us for medical care, with the aim of releasing them back into the wild once they have regained full autonomy.
Every year, the clinic receives around 2 000 animals of over 120 different species, mainly from the Pays de la Loire and Brittany regions. Birds are in the majority (80%), with a predominance of birds of prey, passerines, then seabirds and waders. Among mammals (20%), the European hedgehog is the most widely admitted species (several hundred per year), but rodents, chiropterans, mustelids, lagomorphs and deer are also taken in each year. Reptiles and amphibians, on the other hand, are admitted less frequently.
Animals admitted to the Clinique de la Faune Sauvage benefit from a complete veterinary diagnostic process, which may require additional examinations, carried out on the CHUV Oniris technical platform (medical imaging, for example). Appropriate therapeutic procedures are then carried out until the animal can be moved into rehabilitation facilities.
The clinic's staff bring a wide range of skills to the animals, including
Animals are admitted individually or in groups during ecological crises (oil pollution of marine waters, winter storms, summer heatwaves and botulism, etc.). The following additional skills are then deployed:
This veterinary expertise in the field of wildlife care means that the clinic can receive animals from other rehabilitation centers on a referral basis, be called upon nationwide for medical advice (telemedicine) or be part of a team of international experts that can be mobilized in the event of ecological crises, such as an oil spill, in Europe.
The Clinique de la Faune Sauvage operates from the premises of the Centre Vétérinaire de la Faune Sauvage et des Ecosystèmes d'Oniris, which has all the regulatory authorizations required for the practice of wildlife rehabilitation. These premises, although also located on the Chantrerie site, are distant from the infrastructures of the other CHUV clinics. In addition to medical treatment rooms (examination and nursing care, surgery, hospitalization, washing, etc.), convalescent boxes, aviaries and rehabilitation ponds are also available to provide the various species received, with diverse biological and ecological requirements, with the optimum conditions for their complete rehabilitation. Thanks to their isolation, the clinic's premises also comply with biosafety regulations, separating wild species from domestic animals.
The Clinique de la Faune Sauvage has over 30 years' experience in wildlife rehabilitation. It currently comprises two veterinarians (a hospital practitioner who has specialized in the field for almost 10 years and a hospital assistant), an ecologist (director of the Centre Vétérinaire de la Faune Sauvage et des Ecosystèmes) who has been involved in this activity for over 15 years, and two animal caretakers. The permanent team is rounded out by volunteer veterinary students and interns, as well as a large number of volunteer eco-volunteers.
Animals are transported directly by the finder, by SDIDS 44 firefighters or by volunteer repatriators, partners of the clinic.
No, all consultations and treatments are free of charge. We do, however, accept donations, which enable us to finance part of the clinic's operations and provide for the animals' various needs.
No, that's impossible.
To become a volunteer at the Centre Vétérinaire de la Faune Sauvage et des Ecosystèmes, please follow this link: http://cvfse-nantes.wixsite.com/centre-faune-sauvage/devenir-benevole