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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!
Every animal that calls the San Diego Zoo home began their stay by visiting the Zoo’s hospital. Here, animals of all types fall under the care of veterinarians who not only maintain their health, but also, conduct testing and research that helps the Zoo’s entire collection stay safe from harm. From the stable to the critically endangered, each step of a veterinarian’s work contributes to the goal of wildlife conservation and ensures that members of a species have what they need to be at their physical best.
On Wednesday, we met Dr. Louden Wright, a Veterinarian who is currently part of a residency program through UC Davis in collaboration with San Diego Zoo Global and the Sacramento Zoo. This residency entails interacting with many of the species that come through the Zoo Hospital’s doors. Among them are quarantined animals, healthy animals going through checkups, and animals afflicted with pathogens. His work, which involves working with both healthy and afflicted animals, can help save species as a whole one individual at a time. Animal welfare, or keeping the animals mentally stimulated, safe, and healthy, is always put first, so the conditions that sick animals are brought to are thoroughly considered. Inherently nervous animals may be sent up with a buddy animal to reduce stress, and enclosures are built to be quiet places of rest and recovery. As the animals under the veterinarians’ care all have different personalities, getting to know them is critical to ensuring they can recover as soon as possible. Biosecurity, which is preventing the passage and transmission of diseases, creates a safe environment for veterinarians, sick animals, and species in the Zoo’s collection. Additionally, new animals are quarantined for 30 days before being introduced to the rest of the collection to ensure that no one is exposed to any potential diseases. Alongside a myriad of tests, this is a preventative measure that helps keep all species, notably those vulnerable to extinction, strong and healthy.
As the threats to endangered species grow, so does the technology used to maintain their health. A computerized tomography (CT) scanner, a valuable piece of equipment that is rarely found in zoo hospitals, is used to find complex issues within an animal’s system that may go unseen by traditional x-ray machines. This leads to life-saving findings that prompt further research and the development of new techniques that can be shared with other zoological institutions. These findings can help bring species back from the brink, especially those susceptible to specific diseases. Mobile x-ray units can be brought to large animals, like elephants, to bring specialized care directly to them. Endoscopes aid in precise surgical procedures and getting a clear picture of the inner workings of an animal. Testing blood and fecal samples can pinpoint the exact cause of an animal’s illness. Similar to how people get flu shots to prevent outbreaks, newly developed vaccines, which are only used if it is safe for the animal, prevent the onset of pathogens.
Research is embedded into veterinary medicine, as the work done is capable of finding new diseases and threats, as well as the methods of fighting them. Recently, veterinary knowledge has been globalizing, meaning findings are spread worldwide among veterinarians. Discoveries and new methods are shared with other zoos, and communication goes both ways. All institutions have something to teach each other, and each exchange of information holds the potential to better the life of an animal. For Dr. Wright, this is getting information from other institutions about specific animals, or sharing new discoveries with other veterinarians. Additionally, the Zoo is heavily involved in reintroduction programs, which bring species back to a habitat that may have been unsafe for them or returns an individual to their population. Zoo veterinarians are present throughout the entire process, regularly checking the health of the animal and leading their recovery so that they can return to their native habitat.
Keeping animals healthy is a key aspect to conserving wildlife, because it ensures a species can fight against illnesses that may bring them near extinction. It creates a wide knowledge base of veterinary methods used to keep animals healthy, safe, and able to support the next generation. The Zoo’s team of veterinarians and keepers are promoting an environment that embraces conservation. Through research, reintroduction, and working alongside other institutions, they are creating new ways of maintaining animal health.
Jennah, Conservation Team
Week Six, Fall Session 2018
Every animal that calls the San Diego Zoo home began their stay by visiting the Zoo’s hospital. Here, animals of all types fall under the care of veterinarians who not only maintain their health, but also, conduct testing and research that helps the Zoo’s entire collection stay safe from harm. From the stable to the critically endangered, each step of a veterinarian’s work contributes to the goal of wildlife conservation and ensures that members of a species have what they need to be at their physical best.
On Wednesday, we met Dr. Louden Wright, a Veterinarian who is currently part of a residency program through UC Davis in collaboration with San Diego Zoo Global and the Sacramento Zoo. This residency entails interacting with many of the species that come through the Zoo Hospital’s doors. Among them are quarantined animals, healthy animals going through checkups, and animals afflicted with pathogens. His work, which involves working with both healthy and afflicted animals, can help save species as a whole one individual at a time. Animal welfare, or keeping the animals mentally stimulated, safe, and healthy, is always put first, so the conditions that sick animals are brought to are thoroughly considered. Inherently nervous animals may be sent up with a buddy animal to reduce stress, and enclosures are built to be quiet places of rest and recovery. As the animals under the veterinarians’ care all have different personalities, getting to know them is critical to ensuring they can recover as soon as possible. Biosecurity, which is preventing the passage and transmission of diseases, creates a safe environment for veterinarians, sick animals, and species in the Zoo’s collection. Additionally, new animals are quarantined for 30 days before being introduced to the rest of the collection to ensure that no one is exposed to any potential diseases. Alongside a myriad of tests, this is a preventative measure that helps keep all species, notably those vulnerable to extinction, strong and healthy.
As the threats to endangered species grow, so does the technology used to maintain their health. A computerized tomography (CT) scanner, a valuable piece of equipment that is rarely found in zoo hospitals, is used to find complex issues within an animal’s system that may go unseen by traditional x-ray machines. This leads to life-saving findings that prompt further research and the development of new techniques that can be shared with other zoological institutions. These findings can help bring species back from the brink, especially those susceptible to specific diseases. Mobile x-ray units can be brought to large animals, like elephants, to bring specialized care directly to them. Endoscopes aid in precise surgical procedures and getting a clear picture of the inner workings of an animal. Testing blood and fecal samples can pinpoint the exact cause of an animal’s illness. Similar to how people get flu shots to prevent outbreaks, newly developed vaccines, which are only used if it is safe for the animal, prevent the onset of pathogens.
Research is embedded into veterinary medicine, as the work done is capable of finding new diseases and threats, as well as the methods of fighting them. Recently, veterinary knowledge has been globalizing, meaning findings are spread worldwide among veterinarians. Discoveries and new methods are shared with other zoos, and communication goes both ways. All institutions have something to teach each other, and each exchange of information holds the potential to better the life of an animal. For Dr. Wright, this is getting information from other institutions about specific animals, or sharing new discoveries with other veterinarians. Additionally, the Zoo is heavily involved in reintroduction programs, which bring species back to a habitat that may have been unsafe for them or returns an individual to their population. Zoo veterinarians are present throughout the entire process, regularly checking the health of the animal and leading their recovery so that they can return to their native habitat.
Keeping animals healthy is a key aspect to conserving wildlife, because it ensures a species can fight against illnesses that may bring them near extinction. It creates a wide knowledge base of veterinary methods used to keep animals healthy, safe, and able to support the next generation. The Zoo’s team of veterinarians and keepers are promoting an environment that embraces conservation. Through research, reintroduction, and working alongside other institutions, they are creating new ways of maintaining animal health.
Jennah, Conservation Team
Week Six, Fall Session 2018
