Twice a year - during spring and fall migrations - volunteers go out at night to walk the streets of downtown Columbus, Ohio, in search of birds that have collided with buildings. In 2021, Lights Out Columbus volunteers collected 385 birds after walking more than 1,500 miles.
The initiative is just one of the Ohio Wildlife Center programs the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium supports.
The Ohio Wildlife Center's work to foster awareness and appreciation of Ohio’s native wildlife includes a free wildlife hospital that, in 2021, treated over 8,000 injured, sick, or orphaned animals - representing more than 170 species.
How the Columbus Zoo Helps
- The Columbus Zoo has assisted OWC in utilizing volunteers and professionals to identify, collect, and rehabilitate songbirds injured in downtown Columbus during the spring and fall migration seasons.
- The Zoo has also collected data on the movement of rehabilitated song birds that are admitted to the Ohio Wildlife Center hospital due to human influences, which will provide rehabilitators, conservation organizations, and researchers a base knowledge of movement.
