The Taste of the Islands is an annual fundraising event on Sanibel Island, FL for the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW).

CROW is dedicated to saving wildlife through compassionate care,
education and collaboration with the ultimate goal of returning
our patients back to the wild of beautiful southwest Florida
where we are lucky enough to call home.

The Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW), is a teaching hospital and visitor education center dedicated to saving wildlife through state-of-the-art veterinary care, research, education, and conservation medicine.

Conservation medicine is an emerging, interdisciplinary field that studies the relationship among humans, animal health and environmental conditions. CROW has a growing responsibility and commitment to conservation medicine through the “One World, One Health” concept, which fosters the positive relationship between humans, wildlife and their shared environment.

Patient Care
Every year, since 1968, nearly 4,000 sick, injured and orphaned wildlife patients from Southwest Florida receive care from CROW. Providing compassionate care to animals at all stages of illness or injury is what we do. CROW staff and volunteers work tirelessly to nurse the animals back to health with the end goal of releasing them back into the wild. CROW operates a 4,800 square-foot hospital on 12.5 acre campus on Sanibel Island, Florida.

Clinical Research
CROW is striving to put the information gained from seeing such a large and diverse patient load to good use, by improving the health of the environment, humans and our animals, through a better knowledge of wildlife health. As we diagnose and treat wildlife, we collect data for research allowing us to improve the medical and surgical care of wildlife at CROW and throughout the world.

Education
CROW works to prevent injuries and accidents before they happen. Through our Visitor Education Center, community outreach programs, and Wonders of Wildlife programs, we are working to educate youth and adults to improve the interactions and relationship between humans and wildlife.

Student Programs
CROW’s externship and fellowship programs invite natural science and veterinary students to take an active role in the process of providing care, rehabilitation and ultimately, release of some of the over 200 animal species CROW cares for annually. Students participate in daily hospital and rehabilitation center activities, working closely with experienced staff veterinarians and specialists. Students are involved in each step of the rehabilitation process: everything from cage cleaning and food preparation to patient care, medical procedures and husbandry. Students learn to monitor patient progress and keep medical records, as well as to maintain facilities, work with volunteers and conduct community outreach. As they care for wildlife patients, externs and fellows study the most recent approaches to veterinary medicine.

Volunteers
CROW relies on hundreds of volunteers each year. Our volunteers rescue wildlife, bring them to our facility, assist with feeding and husbandry duties, monitor patients as they make their recoveries and help release the patients back to the wild. In addition, we rely on our volunteers to help educate the public about CROW and coexisting with our wildlife neighbors.

Members
CROW’s relies 100% on donations to do our important work. We could not continue to provide care or treat wildlife without the generosity of our members. To help us continue to save our sick, injured or orphaned wildlife in Southwest Florida, consider becoming a member today.