An animal’s natural environment determines its opportunities to forage, bathe, sleep, socialize, procreate and raise its young.

Declining habitat, urbanization, pollution, global warming, pesticides and natural disasters are all very real dangers that contribute to decline in populations. Individual animals may be victims of poisoning, oil spill, conflict with domestic animals, collision with a vehicle or a host of other problems.

Environmental issues affect wildlife in all ways. When we admit a new patient, understanding its habits, foods, and place of origin can help us diagnose environmentally related problems such as nutritional deficiencies related to a local problem in the food chain, or a disease related to foul water.

When we are preparing to release an animal, it is equally important to have an understanding of its natural habitat and the state of the environment in the release area. Will the area support more numbers of this species? Is the local population healthy? Will the animal be able to find conspecifics or enough food or shelter?