Donald L. Burton
Alumni Citizenship Award
B.S. Zoology, 1975
M.S. Natural Resources, 1979
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, 1980
Donald L. Burton has dedicated his professional life to providing medical and rehabilitative care for native Ohio wildlife and to encouraging appreciation of native animals throughout the state.
During his first four years as a practicing veterinarian, Burton received many inquiries from clients who wanted to know where they could take injured wild animals. Those concerns and Burton’s own interest in the well-being of native animals spurred him to create the Ohio Wildlife Center in 1984.
Today, the center is one of the largest such facilities in the United States. It’s the only wildlife hospital in Ohio equipped with immediate and continual veterinary expertise and services.
The center’s mission is to foster awareness and appreciation of the state’s native wildlife through rehabilitation, education, and health studies. Staff and volunteers focus on increasing the public’s understanding of the natural environment.
Over the last two decades, the Ohio Wildlife Center’s hospital has treated more than 50,000 injured and orphaned wild animals representing more than 175 species. In addition, the center operates a 24-hour emergency hotline that offers free assistance to more than 25,000 citizens each year.
Burton operates the Ohio Wildlife Center on the lower level of his veterinary practice, Animal Care Unlimited, on Columbus’ north side. He serves as the center’s executive director, chief veterinarian, and research director, and has donated more than a thousand hours per year of his time and tens of thousands of dollars of revenue from his private practice to support the center’s nonprofit work.
The impact and scale of the Ohio Wildlife Center continues to expand. Among recent accomplishments is the acquisition of nearly 20 acres in southern Delaware County and the completion of a wildlife display facility that will be used in conjunction with the center’s education programs and day camp. Staff and volunteers hope to raise sufficient funding to build a nature center as well as a new wildlife hospital.
As an adjunct associate professor in Ohio State’s College of Veterinary Medicine, Burton teaches courses in zoo and wildlife medicine, wildlife disease ecology, and veterinarians in community service. He also mentors students at the Ohio Wildlife Center and advises fourth-year students who serve internships at his private practice.
Burton was a finalist for the 2003 Jefferson Award for extraordinary volunteerism in Columbus. In 1994, he was named central Ohio’s Socially Responsible Entrepreneur of the Year. He serves on the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium’s board of trustees and as a consultant for the Humane Society of the United States.
“Dr. Burton has dedicated his life and profession to helping people recognize their impact on wildlife and the importance of urban socialization conservation,” said Mark A. Dilley, executive council president of the School of Natural Resources Alumni Society. “We could not think of a better representation of what Ohio State strives to deliver: educated professionals proud to teach what they’ve learned and practice what they teach.”
