VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT: Ross Lewin

Originally from the Bay Area, volunteer Ross Lewin currently lives in Sacramento. He works as a Registered Veterinary Technician at Old Towne Animal Hospital in Fair Oaks, where they mainly see companion animals and the feral chickens for which Fair Oaks is locally renowned. 

Ross started volunteering at the California Raptor Center at the end of 2016. In his time at the CRC, he has grown partial to a few birds over the years. “Sullivan, Phoenix and Ash are up there but my favorite has to be our late resident Red-shoulder, Mikey,” he says.

Working with companion animals in his job and with raptors as a volunteer, Ross has had the opportunity to compare and contrast what it is like to provide medical care to such different creatures. In his own words:

One of the biggest challenges working with animals, especially wildlife, is that the patients can’t tell us what is ailing them. With the interaction being nonverbal, picking up on subtle, and sometimes not so subtle cues is key to understanding the patient. While there are differences between the species, there is a lot of crossover from a medical and biological perspective but one of the biggest differences with the raptors and the patients that I see at the clinic is that I have to watch out for the feet rather than the teeth. The opportunity to work with these amazing birds had been such great experience.

And his favorite part of being a volunteer at the CRC? “The best part of volunteering at the Raptor Center is the release, and watching the raptor fly off into the wild,” says Ross.