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Zoo InternQuest is a seven-week career exploration program for San Diego County high school juniors and seniors. Students have the unique opportunity to meet professionals working for the San Diego Zoo, Safari Park, and Institute for Conservation Research, learn about their jobs, and then blog about their experience online. Follow their adventures here on the Zoo’s website!
I bet you all have wondered how you can take your love for animals into your career and become a veterinarian! Well, this week interns learned what the not-so typical day at work is like for veterinarians. Interns had the privilege of meeting with Dr. Meg Sutherland-Smith who is the Director of Veterinary Services, and Dr. Ben Nevitt who is an Associate Veterinarian at the Zoo. As veterinarians, Dr. Sutherland-Smith and Dr. Nevitt take care of the exotic animals living at the Zoo, and make sure they are in good health. With so many animals at the Zoo, the doctors are never bored as they perform 3-7 exams each day on animals ranging from a finch weighing less than an ounce to an elephant who can weigh up to 7.5 tons! Dr. Sutherland-Smith and Dr. Nevitt also have to know how to perform various surgeries, and often bring animals to the hospital to be closely monitored.
Even though, Dr. Sutherland-Smith has worked at the Zoo for 26 years and Dr. Nevitt has only worked at the Zoo for a little over two years, they both agree that they love their job so much because every day is different. Dr. Nevitt told interns about some of the cool and unique adaptations that he has learned about, such as how the woodpecker’s tongue wraps around their skull and that the lemur has double-jointed fingers to better dig out food. He also explained that in New Zealand there is a bird called the kea, which can be so destructive that NZ had to build playgrounds for the birds to keep them occupied! Constantly learning about new aspects of exotic animals like their cool adaptations and how they interact with their natural environment is what keeps Dr. Sutherland-Smith and Dr. Nevitt interested in their work!
They both explained that if you want to be a veterinarian when you grow up you should not be discouraged by people who talk about how difficult it is. If you work hard, get a lot of experience and are in love with the idea of working with animals every day, you can succeed in becoming a veterinarian! They further explained that younger generations have a big responsibility for correcting the damage of older generations, and should focus on caring for the Earth. So, Dr. Sutherland-Smith said we should continue to learn about ourselves and find things that we are passionate about, and use that passion to create a positive impact. Also, always be mindful of the how our habits will affect the wildlife around us by using recycled materials and respecting wild animals!
Make your own X-Ray!
Background information: Radiology is a huge part of a veterinarian’s job in diagnosing an animal. X-Rays are a non-invasive way for veterinarians to see foreign objects and broken bones inside an animal. It takes a lot of time and practice for veterinarians to be able to understand what an x-ray is showing and take that information to make a diagnosis.
Objective: For the future veterinarians out there or those of you who love to learn, let’s get ahead start on developing our x-ray reading skills! You will make x-rays of your hands and use a light box to illuminate all the details, to simulate how a real veterinarian views x-rays!
Materials:
-Two paper towels
-White glue (not a glue stick)
-Black marker
-Mixed black paint and water
-Dropper
-Plastic bin with lid (non transparent)
-Bright lights
Directions:
I bet you all have wondered how you can take your love for animals into your career and become a veterinarian! Well, this week interns learned what the not-so typical day at work is like for veterinarians. Interns had the privilege of meeting with Dr. Meg Sutherland-Smith who is the Director of Veterinary Services, and Dr. Ben Nevitt who is an Associate Veterinarian at the Zoo. As veterinarians, Dr. Sutherland-Smith and Dr. Nevitt take care of the exotic animals living at the Zoo, and make sure they are in good health. With so many animals at the Zoo, the doctors are never bored as they perform 3-7 exams each day on animals ranging from a finch weighing less than an ounce to an elephant who can weigh up to 7.5 tons! Dr. Sutherland-Smith and Dr. Nevitt also have to know how to perform various surgeries, and often bring animals to the hospital to be closely monitored.
Even though, Dr. Sutherland-Smith has worked at the Zoo for 26 years and Dr. Nevitt has only worked at the Zoo for a little over two years, they both agree that they love their job so much because every day is different. Dr. Nevitt told interns about some of the cool and unique adaptations that he has learned about, such as how the woodpecker’s tongue wraps around their skull and that the lemur has double-jointed fingers to better dig out food. He also explained that in New Zealand there is a bird called the kea, which can be so destructive that NZ had to build playgrounds for the birds to keep them occupied! Constantly learning about new aspects of exotic animals like their cool adaptations and how they interact with their natural environment is what keeps Dr. Sutherland-Smith and Dr. Nevitt interested in their work!
They both explained that if you want to be a veterinarian when you grow up you should not be discouraged by people who talk about how difficult it is. If you work hard, get a lot of experience and are in love with the idea of working with animals every day, you can succeed in becoming a veterinarian! They further explained that younger generations have a big responsibility for correcting the damage of older generations, and should focus on caring for the Earth. So, Dr. Sutherland-Smith said we should continue to learn about ourselves and find things that we are passionate about, and use that passion to create a positive impact. Also, always be mindful of the how our habits will affect the wildlife around us by using recycled materials and respecting wild animals!
Make your own X-Ray!
Background information: Radiology is a huge part of a veterinarian’s job in diagnosing an animal. X-Rays are a non-invasive way for veterinarians to see foreign objects and broken bones inside an animal. It takes a lot of time and practice for veterinarians to be able to understand what an x-ray is showing and take that information to make a diagnosis.
Objective: For the future veterinarians out there or those of you who love to learn, let’s get ahead start on developing our x-ray reading skills! You will make x-rays of your hands and use a light box to illuminate all the details, to simulate how a real veterinarian views x-rays!
Materials:
-Two paper towels
-White glue (not a glue stick)
-Black marker
-Mixed black paint and water
-Dropper
-Plastic bin with lid (non transparent)
-Bright lights
Directions:
- Create the x-ray of your hand: On one of the two paper towels trace your hand with a black marker. Then use very thick layers of white glue to create the bones within your hand. Take the unused second paper towel and press it on top of the towel with the x-ray of your hand.
- Illuminate the bones: Fill a dropper with the mixed black paint and water and drop it onto the paper towels. At first, the paper towel will be completely black, but the glue will begin to show through and your bones will be illuminated! You’ve created a home-made x-ray of your hand!
- Make an x-ray light box: Take your plastic bin and tape individual bright lights to the lid or simply put a bundle of lit Christmas lights into the bottom of the bin. Place the lid on top.
- Analyze your x-rays: Take your homemade x-rays and put them on top of the illuminated bin. With the light behind your x-ray you will be able to see the details of your hand, like a veterinarian would with a real x-ray!
