In 2002, while working in the corporate world, Dr. Sherri Cox took vacation time to volunteer to help wildlife at the Prestige oil spill in Galicia, Spain. What she saw there changed her life. “It was devastating to see so many birds covered in thick oil,” she recalls. One image has never left her: a Northern Gannet perched on the edge of a fishing boat, shivering. More than 300,000 seabirds died in that spill. At that moment, she realized that wild animals suffer silently. They have no owners to take them to a veterinarian, and many are injured because of human activity. She decided to leave her career and dedicate herself to wildlife medicine.
Northern Gannets photographed by Octavio Perez of the National Wildlife Centre
She returned to school, became a veterinarian, and devoted herself entirely to caring for wildlife. While she holds board certification in avian medicine, her work spans all species. Here in Caledon, the accredited Wildlife Field Hospital serves as the headquarters of the National Wildlife Centre, admitting animals from across Ontario.
Today, her decision continues to ripple outward. Dr. Cox currently leads a team of eight wildlife veterinarians and mentors others entering the field. She has trained 18 interns to date in the field of wildlife medicine and surgery. She is grateful to be on faculty and teach wildlife rehabilitation at the University of Guelph, working with hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students each year. For Dr. Cox, helping wildlife is not only about treating individual patients, but about inspiring and equipping the next generation to continue the work.
Dr. Sherri Cox performing an avian examination technique with Dr. Sara Seemel during wildlife veterinary training
When she reflects on that oil spill, she sees both tragedy and purpose. It shaped a lifetime devoted to protecting animals without a voice. Her message to the community is simple: “Be part of the solution. Slow down on roads. Make an effort to try to prevent birds from striking windows. Take steps to reduce harm before it happens”.
“People sometimes say helping one wild animal won’t make a difference,” and to that Dr. Cox always says “but it makes a difference to that one animal.”
