advertisement

2 LSU grads give total of $110,000 to wildlife hospital

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Two Louisiana State University graduates have given the veterinary school's wildlife hospital a total of $110,000.

Richard P. Sivicek of Illinois gave $100,000 to establish a fund to pay for treatment and food for injured and resident wildlife, the School of Veterinary Medicine said in a news release Wednesday.

He graduated in 1969 with a degree in agriculture and has endowed scholarships in that school since retiring from the police department in Oaklawn, a Chicago suburb. He also had donated to the University of Illinois' wildlife program.

Susan Belt, who graduated from the veterinary school in 1998, made a $10,000 gift to the wildlife hospital's support fund. She owns a veterinary clinic in Bryant, Arkansas.

People bring about 1,200 injured animals a year to the wildlife hospital. Veterinarians are able to fully rehabilitate and release 40 percent of them.

The wildlife hospital relies on private donations to help cover the cost of food, housing, and veterinary procedures and treatments. Costs vary greatly with species and type of injury, ranging from $50 for basic care to more than $3,000 for orthopedic surgery.

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.