Touring the DuPage Wildlife Conservation Center

By Jan Bradford

River Prairie Group of Sierra Club recently held an outing to the DuPage Wildlife Conservation Center with 20 participants. The tour started in the classroom where the animals are cared for from the largest to the smallest. Participants also learned that the center had separate recovering rooms for each animal species to enhance recovery. Two full-time veterinarians and support teams work on the various species. The group also learned about the different meal preparations for each animal and saw x-rays of some of the broken bones that animals can have. After their recovery, the team decides which forest preserve, of the 60 available, to release the animals that will most likely secure their survival.  

Following the classroom presentation, the group went into the visitor center to view animal care in person. Behind glass windows, they saw baby opossums that were being caring for and even an operation in progress on an owl’s wing.  

After lunch, the group proceeded to the forest trail to hike the loop. Here they saw many prairie flowers in bloom, trees, and even birds. Along the path there were press-button stations that told visitors about the area they were viewing, and there were also benches provided for a rest. Another person in the group helped to identify plants, which made the outing very special.

Everyone agreed that this was a very interesting outing to learn what animals are appropriate to bring to the center, how the center cares for the animals, and the release process to help injured animals in our environment. Thank you, DuPage Wildlife Conservation Center.