CLINIC FOR THE REHABILITATION OF WILDLIFE
Drs. Madeline Chilcote and Kasey Mitchell have joined the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife on Sanibel as the new Wildlife and Conservation Medicine interns, beginning their year-long veterinary internships on July 1.
Chilcote received her Bachelor of Science in biology, with a minor in German, from Kalamazoo College in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and she earned her doctorate at Michigan State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.
Before joining CROW, Chilcote completed a Rotating Small Animal Medicine and Surgery Internship at the VCA Weymouth Animal Hospital and an Animal Care Internship at the Center for Wildlife in Cape Neddick, Maine. She also brings years of experience through previous externships at: the California Wildlife Center in Calabasas, California; The Wildlife Center of Virginia in Waynesboro, Virginia; Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, Georgia; and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife in Corvallis.
“I wrote my dream career speech on becoming a wildlife veterinarian in elementary school because of the work my uncle did with population management in wildlife,” Chilcote said. “During my junior year of college, I studied the three American black bear siblings at the Binder Park Zoo in Battle Creek, Michigan, and thought I may want to go into research rather than medicine. I decided to take a three-month-long animal care internship with the Center for Wildlife in Maine prior to applying to veterinary school. After that internship, it was evident to me that I needed to pursue wildlife medicine. I haven’t looked back since.”
Mitchell returns to CROW after previously completing a Veterinary Medicine Externship in 2018 and most recently volunteering in the hospital. She received her Bachelor of Science in ecology and evolutionary biology from Marshall University in West Virginia. Mitchell earned her doctorate from the University of Georgia’s College of Veterinary Medicine. After graduating, she completed an ER and Small Animal Rotating Internship in San Diego at the VCA Emergency Animal Hospital and Referral Center.
CLINIC FOR THE REHABILITATION OF WILDLIFE Dr. Madeline Chilcote
“I’ve seen all the negative effects humans have on our environment and the animals that live there,” Mitchell said. “I always felt the need to do what I could to reduce these impacts and to help the animals.”
She added that she hopes to gain a strong foundation in wildlife medicine and triage during her internship.
CROW’s Wildlife and Conservation Medicine Internship is centered around the “One World, One Health” concept and designed for those who have completed their Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine and are interested in gaining experience treating wildlife. In addition to clinical duties, interns participate in research and conservation projects, give case and journal club rounds, and help teach students, staff and volunteers.
Veterinary interns work closely with staff from all departments in the hospital to gain a better understanding of the rehabilitation process while working with over 200 different species of native and migratory wildlife.
“I’m hoping to gain greater comfort with identifying species, as well as age identification,” Chilcote said. “I am looking forward to working with adult mammals because they require so much teamwork and creative use of space and resources in a rehabilitation setting.”
CLINIC FOR THE REHABILITATION OF WILDLIFE Dr. Kasey Mitchell
CROW’s staff veterinarian is excited to welcome the new intern class to campus.
“We are thrilled to have Dr. Chilcote and Dr. Mitchell join the team and look forward to helping them grow their skills as clinicians over the course of this year. They will treat thousands of emergency patients, learn a variety of surgical techniques, assist in teaching the students rotating through the hospital and conduct research projects in conservation medicine,” Dr. Robin Bast said. “Our interns are key members of the hospital team, and we’re thrilled to be a part of their conservation journey.”
For more information about the internships and externships that CROW offers, visit
www.CROWClinic.org/articles.student-programs.
Source: SANIBEL-CAPTIVA
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