Wildlife Rehabilitation: From Rescue To Release host Gail Buhl is back for a third season! Gail, a Master Level Wildlife Rehabilitator in Minnesota, draws on decades of experience caring for wildlife to connect with guests on a deep, meaningful level, eliciting thought provoking dialogue among fellow peers.

That unique ability to draw out the story behind the story comes into play right off the bat in Season 3, Episode 1 - a discussion on the Art of Wildlife Rehabilitation with Dr. John Huckabee, a retired wildlife veterinarian who began his career in Texas and later spent many years in the Seattle area serving PAWS (Progressive Animal Welfare Society).

We know there is science to wildlife rehabilitation and wildlife medicine -- using natural histories, medical information from related fields like Zoo medicine etc. We also know MUCH more needs to be done for our wildlife. There however, is also an "art" to wildlife rehabilitation--where rehabilitators and veterinarians know just how to "tweak" an enclosure or medical procedure, or whether to use medications or not for a good outcome for that individual. What are those things? Can people learn that "art"? In this two-part series we get into this subject. As it turns out, you can learn the Art of Rehabilitation! Listen in to find out how.

This is Part 1 of 2. In Part 1, Gail and Dr. Huckabee touch on topics such as his unusual origin story, the use and overuse of certain medications and avoiding the "just because" syndrome, and achieving mastery through intentional practice.

Stay tuned for Part 2, which drops online on Thursday, January 25th and will appear on podcast apps that Friday, January 26th.

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Our executive producer and host is Gail Buhl. Our producer is Kirk Klocke.

To learn more about The Raptor Center, visit Homepage | The Raptor Center (umn.edu). For more on Partners for Wildlife, visit Partners for Wildlife Home | The Raptor Center (umn.edu).