Exotic & Wild Bird Aviary - Schubot Exotic Bird Health Center

Download the Exotic & Wild Bird Aviary proposal here.

Join YOUR TEXAS College of Veterinary Medicine in Leading Avian Health and Conservation

The Schubot Exotic Bird Health Center at Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (CVM) was founded in 1987 by an endowment from Mr. Richard M. Schubot with matching funds provided by Texas A&M University. Faculty members associated with the Center conduct more research into avian health and conservation, and train more veterinarians interested in avian medicine than any other veterinary college in the nation. With so few avian veterinarians, and the national numbers decreasing, the CVM continues to retain and recruit the best and the brightest students and faculty, while seeking to improve the facilities and tools needed to enhance the care provided for these special creatures.

Teaching

The primary function of the CVM is teaching. We have a responsibility to teach future veterinarians about avian diseases, their diagnosis, prevention and treatment. This is especially important for those students, interns and residents who have a specific interest in exotic animals and birds. Teaching, especially when accompanied by ongoing programs in conservation and disease research, is especially effective and something that the Schubot Center faculty are committed to improving.

Research

The center supports research into all aspects of disease in wild and captive birds. We are especially interested in the large parrot species, but do not ignore other endangered species, raptors, and waterfowl. As a college of veterinary medicine, our focus centers on infectious and parasitic diseases, but we are also investigating the genomes and genetic diversity of several important bird species, and conducting research on avian nutrition and behavior. These projects involve not only scientists at the CVM but also in the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Science as well as other universities in the United States, Canada, and Central and South America. The results of our studies are already being applied to improving the health of birds kept by zoos, aviculturists, and individual pet owners. The Schubot Center research programs are specifically selected for their importance to the avicultural and conservation communities and include international collaborations in Peru, Argentina, Costa Rica, and Honduras.

Our accomplishments include:

• treatments for iron-storage disease
• improved diagnosis of avian tuberculosis, avian bornavirus, and avian herpesvirus
• development of a test that has eliminated an inherited disease in California condors

Our faculty is also actively engaged in long-term studies on macaw biology and disease at our research site at Tambopata, Peru. Members of the Center staff are leaders in the fields of wild parrot research and conservation, through studies of salt licks, macaw nesting success, wild parrot nutrition, and satellite telemetry.

Help Us Create a Proper Space for Success

The accomplishments of the Schubot Center have been achieved through the support of the college and university and because of the hard work of faculty, staff, and students. However, we need new facilities, specifically an aviary, that will allow us to achieve even greater successes.

As our program grows and diversifies, having the ability to house a larger population of birds will help us continue important research and begin new studies. When we have a climate-controlled space, it will make the Texas summers more comfortable for our birds and allow them to be less stressed during studies.

Our major research program into the prevention and treatment of proventricular dilatation disease involves studies on birds infected with avian bornavirus. When we have the needed facilities for these birds to be kept separate from healthy birds, or birds used for other studies, it will greatly benefit this important research.

Once we have appropriate space to house raptors, we will better train students in the care and treatment of these important birds. When we are able to provide state-of-the-art washroom and changing facilities, it will ensure the health and safety of our students, faculty, and staff.

Finally, when we construct dedicated teaching space in our aviary, we will better promote an understanding of avian diseases and avian husbandry among future veterinarians.

A New Exotic and Wild Bird Aviary

Project Imperatives:

• Provide an ample, comfortable, and safe environment for birds
• Afford infected and healthy birds appropriate, separate space
• Build a facility with suitable quarantine capabilities
• Enrich the learning environment of tomorrow's veterinarians
• Meet the advanced research resource needs of our faculty

The CVM is reaching out to our friends and supporters who have expressed an interest in avian health, conservation, and care. We are seeking funding in the total amount of $2.2 million to support the cost of construction of an exotic and wild bird aviary. This facility will allow Texas A&M University, through the Schubot Exotic Bird Heath Center, to build upon the CVM'ss leadership in the fields of avian health and conservation. We are honored and pleased to provide this proposal to you as an opportunity to partner with us as we move forward to maintain and enhance the most comprehensive teaching, research, and clinical service program with regard to exotic and wild birds in the nation. Thank you.

Donor Naming Opportunities:

Naming Opportunities and Impact

Birds and other exotic species of animals have not always received the level of veterinary care afforded to more mainstream animals like dogs and cats. Indeed, the veterinary profession has tended to avoid the broader issues of conservation, the trade in endangered species, and the imminent extinction of many species. The Schubot Exotic Bird Health Center is a leader in changing this paradigm in the veterinary profession.

The College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (CVM) will continue to make instruction in the treatment of birds and other exotics a focus for our students, as well as providing the most appropriate facilities, research opportunities and tools to assist this process. No other college of veterinary medicine in the country devotes the resources to educating and training future avian veterinarians.

We are committed to remaining the recognized leader in providing the highest level of care to the many avian patients presented at our clinic each year. Unfortunately, exotic bird health and conservation is not an area that attracts significant levels of extramural grants or federal funding, and the center must compete with many other demands on the resources of the college. Private funding is a key factor in ensuring the continuation and the success of the program.

The floor plan of the new exotic and wild bird aviary is approximately 11,000 square feet and has been designed for easy future expansion should future needs and funding be available. The new aviary will contain a functional hospital, receiving area with quarantine capabilities, two isolation rooms, a Biosafety Level 2 (BL2) laboratory for infectious disease research, spacious teaching and classroom space, and four offices.

Contributing to the exotic and wild bird aviary at The Schubot Exotic Bird Health Center at the CVM makes you a member of the team working to make the future of avian veterinary medicine a priority in overall veterinary medicine around the world.

Thank you for your consideration in helping with all or any portion of this important endeavor.