Sarvey Wildlife Center

A Vet Student and Sarvey
by Sara Ann Manthley

A Veterinary Student’s Thanks To Sarvey Wildlife Care Center I was one of those little kids who always said "I want to be a veterinarian when I grow up!" In high school when it came time to consider what path to take in college I was scared off from pursuing veterinary school because 8 years just seemed like an awful long time to spend in school. I had lost sight of my life long dream. Driving to work one day on I-5, I saw a big red van that had lights on the top and a sign that said "Sarvey Wildlife Care Center Ambulance" with a picture of a bobcat on the side. I did a double take and thought to myself, "Wildlife center?" I had never heard of the place before. Later that week I looked up Sarvey on the internet and found their website. "Volunteers needed", it said. One week later, I started volunteering one day a week for Sarvey as an outside cleaner. Over the next 4 years I learned a great number of things from the Sarvey staff members. As I demonstrated my willingness to work hard, a desire to learn, and a commitment to Sarvey’s values and goals, I was given more and more opportunities to work closely with the animals. Over time I was allowed to become a more integral part of the volunteer staff. I will never forget the first time that Dennis Whitney allowed me to hold an injured eagle as he treated its wounds, the first time that Leslie Henry taught me how to bottle feed a baby river otter, or the first time Jim Davidson taught me how to hold a trained Raptor on a glove. Moments like those brought me back full circle to my dream of wanting to become a veterinarian. After much training, I began to help in the ambulance to learn more about wildlife rescue, was taught more about the medical side of what Sarvey does, was incorporated into the educational program team, and eventually filled in as a clinic lead on days that other leads needed help covering their shifts. The skills and experiences that I gained working for Sarvey have been more valuable than almost anything else in getting me closer to my goal of becoming a veterinarian. Not only did Sarvey remind me that I wanted to achieve this long tern goal, but it gave me some of the tools needed to accomplish it. The training I received from Sarvey staff members helped me to get a job as a veterinary technician at a small animal clinic in Seattle, and eventually directly contributed to my acceptance into the College of Veterinary Medicine at WSU. Now as a veterinarian student, I am working towards gaining an influential role in international raptor conservation. I have been given the opportunity to work on training some of the permanent resident raptors at WSU and was recently asked to design and implement a new training program for the WSU Raptor Club. I am also exploring some opportunities this summer that have crossed my path involving international externships working with raptor conservation organizations around the world. The work done by the Sarvey Wildlife Care Center volunteers on a daily basis is invaluable at many levels. If you are someone who simply loves to be around animals, Sarvey is a great place to make a difference doing what you love. Sarvey also may provide the inspiration and opportunities needed to work toward some of your more long term goals that may seem unreachable at this time in your life. At the very least, Sarvey provides a wonderful chance to become part of a group of excellent, hard working, generous people who have many things to offer, whether it be about animals, social skills, how to work with diverse groups of people, or simply personal growth. Without Sarvey, I would not be where I am today, and look forward to the time when I can give something back to the center as a veterinarian.