THE CONTRIBUTION OF WILDLIFE REHABILITATION TO PEER-REVIEWED LITERATURE: A MAPPING REVIEW.

Abstract

Wildlife rehabilitation facilities contribute to scientific research through clinical case reports, experimental studies, and retrospective reviews; however, the amount and type of this research has not been quantified. A literature search was performed to identify recent trends in wildlife rehabilitation research over a six-year period (2017-2022). The following data was evaluated from a total of 526 articles: publishing journal, taxonomic class and order, article sponsorship, contributing institutions, country of origin, and paper topic. Journals with a focus on animals, zoos, wildlife, and veterinary medicine published the greatest number of articles about wildlife rehabilitation. Mammals and birds, particularly birds of prey, were the most common subjects. Academic institutions were the largest sponsorship group, followed by wildlife rehabilitation facilities themselves. Publications were globally distributed, with the United States, Brazil, and Australia producing the greatest number of articles. To the authors' knowledge, this study is the first to identify wildlife rehabilitation facilities as a major sponsor for scientific research. Although the impacts from the field of wildlife rehabilitation are difficult to quantify, the information presented in this study may serve to acknowledge wildlife rehabilitation facilities as research partners, inform research projects, and serve as a database for future studies.