Our Story – Wildlife
Our passion for animal medicine extends deep into the animal kingdom.
We often provide care to the birds and exotic animals at the major theme parks around the area from Disney to Universal Studios to Busch Gardens. Every day here at Winter Park Veterinary Hospital is an adventure. On any given day you may see a bald eagle, red tail hawk, tortoise, turtle, or even the occasional tiger or fish. Our expertise with exotics and avian pets brings a number of interesting creatures into our office. This helps our veterinarians and staff bring creative and innovative thinking and problem solving to our clients. Don’t worry, we take every precaution to ensure safe treatment for these animals, our staff, and our clients. All exotics are pre-approved by Dr Hess to guarantee complete safety for all parties involved.
January 1, 2026 Update:
Dear WPVH Family,
For decades, Winter Park Veterinary Hospital has proudly provided direct medical care to wildlife in our local community, with the invaluable support of our long-standing wildlife partner, Mary Jane from The Haven for Injured and Orphaned Wildlife. After many years of dedicated service, Mary Jane retired on January 1, 2026. We are deeply grateful for her commitment and the lasting impact she has made on wildlife and our community.
With the retirement of our local rehabilitation partner, we have taken time to thoughtfully reevaluate how we can best serve and protect our friends in the wild. After careful discussion and consideration of what is truly best for the animals we all care about, we have decided to pivot our approach.
Moving forward, we will support wildlife in a new and more effective capacity by increasing our support for established local wildlife rehabilitators who specialize in returning animals safely to the wild. By eliminating Winter Park Veterinary Hospital as the “middleman,” animals can be connected directly with rehabilitators – resulting in:
Reduced stress for the animal
Faster diagnosis and treatment
A greater likelihood of survival and successful release
While we will no longer be directly admitting wildlife, our commitment to local wildlife remains strong. We will continue to support rehabilitators through financial contributions, medical guidance, and veterinary care when requested by licensed rehabilitators.
As a result, effective January 1, 2026, Winter Park Veterinary Hospital will no longer be accepting wildlife patients.
Please visit our website for more information on how you can help and what to do if you find an injured or orphaned wild animal.
Thank you for your continued compassion, understanding, and dedication to animal welfare.
Sincerely,
William J. Hess
Hospital Manager
Winter Park Veterinary Hospital
History:
Winter Park Veterinary Hospital has been the primary veterinary services provider for the Florida Audubon Society for over 25 years. Early in our service, Dr Hess developed a surgery to help Bald Eagles and other birds of prey overcome a lethal foot disease that was ravaging the population at a time when the Bald Eagle population was struggling to survive. The disease had almost always proved fatal and Dr Hess’ innovative technique led to national renown for our hospital. More importantly this technique saved the lives of many graceful and majestic birds. We maintain the belief that it is our duty to provide life-saving services to our friends in the wild.
We look forward to seeing you at Winter Park Veterinary Hospital!
For more information, please visit our Wildlife Resource List page.
