You are bidding on a very special visit to CROW the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife in Sanibel.  This progam is open to all but due to the nature of the emergency hospital it is no recommended for children under the age of 11.  Campus tour provides an in-depth look at how CROW works including general admission into the Visitor Education Center, attendance in a daily presentation and concludes with a behind the scenes tour of the hospital.  Allow 1 1/2 hours for the tour.

In 1968, shortly after the Sanibel Causeway was built, islander Shirley Walter found a Royal Tern which had been hit by a car on the causeway. Finding no services available for injured wildlife, Shirley took the bird to her Sanibel home. A small group of volunteers joined Walter, and CROW was born. In the first year, 500 distress calls were answered. From the beginning, the late Dr. Phyllis Douglass provided veterinary assistance. Wildlife medicine was in its infancy in the 1960’s so Shirley, the volunteers, and Dr. Phyllis all learned together, with the network of rehabilitators around Florida.

In 1972 CROW incorporated as a non-profit organization, receiving their 501 (c) (3) IRS exemption in 1973. The name was Shirley’s idea – she wanted a bird’s name, a W for wildlife, and since crows are considered as one of the most intelligent species – the CROW acronym was born.

Forced to close in 1976 by new city ordinances, CROW existed in name only for one year. In 1977, the late Adelaide Cherbonnier offered her Captiva home as a temporary location until CROW was given 10 acres of the Sawbridge tract along Sanibel Captiva Road. With a $35,000 mortgage to build its facility, CROW won city approval and the wildlife clinic became operational in 1981.