Zoo InternQuest, Author at San Diego Zoo… – Page 24 of 32 – San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Stories

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! Normally, when people think of veterinarians, they think of doctors who work on household pets like dogs and cats. But what about zoo animals? There are so many different species out there from the smallest bird to the largest elephant. It takes a special veterinarian to be prepared for so many animals. At the San Diego Zoo, that special person is the Director of Veterinary Services, Dr. Megan Sutherland-Smith. This week we had the honor of meeting Dr. Sutherland-Smith and Associate Veterinarian Ben Nevitt. With the help of these two dedicated doctors, interns got an inside look at the typical work day of a vet at the San Diego Zoo. When our group of students arrived at the hospital, we were greeted by Dr. Sutherland-Smith. After introductions, we were taken to the hospital library where we got an aerial view of the exam and treatment rooms. After a brief stay, we were taken to the clinical pathology lab where scientists view blood samples from all over the zoo, looking for diseases such as fungus, parasites, and various other kinds of illnesses. In this state of the art facility, the scientists have access to advanced automated blood analyzing equipment and a specialized machine for counting red blood cells, which would take an ordinary person hours to analyze. The lab was also equipped with a special microscope with teaching heads for multiple viewers. After a look in the clinical pathology department, Dr. Sutherland-Smith took interns to the camera room, where we were given a virtual tour of the building. The hospital has many rooms catered to the needs of all kinds of animals. For hoofstock, they have a series of pens along with a padded room for recovery. For larger animals like giraffes and elephants, they have recovery rooms on sight in their exhibits complete with padded rooms and squeezes, large padded rooms designed to offer standing support to the animals during medical operations. The hospital is equipped with an ICU room designed for birds with incubators and enclosures closely monitored around the clock. Birds are often difficult to watch while recovering, so the zoo has a designated bird room. Birds often don't like to show their sickness to other animals which can make treating them difficult. But in the bird room, veterinarians can observe these birds through cameras, encouraging them to act naturally, thus revealing their ailments to the vets. After the virtual tour, interns met with Dr. Nevitt to get a look inside some the medical operation rooms. He first brought us to the radiology department where he gave us radiograph to look at. Interns saw x-rays of a koala, aye aye, a pregnant rattlesnake, and so many others. Scientists take x-rays in order to check animals for injuries and pregnancy. Next to the radiology room is the surgical and exam rooms where Dr. Nevitt showed interns some of the equipment a vet uses on a daily basis. In order to put an animal under anesthesia, veterinarians use antebrachial tubes that are put in the tracheas to help pump the lungs, along with laryngoscopes with flashlights to see the back of the mouth. To wrap up our day, Dr. Sutherland-Smith and Dr. Nevitt described their typical workday and answered a handful of questions. They have a four-day schedule with the animals and a fifth day for paperwork. They work twelve hour days and sometimes work on standby just in case of emergencies. When Dr. Sutherland-Smith retires, she wants to volunteer in ocean conservation and help our local marine species. Dr. Nevitt wants to continue working with the zoo, making a positive difference. We can apply their work to our lives by thinking of the positive ways they are influencing the zoo. Their work directly leads to the survival of many species at the zoo. Without dedicated veterinarians like them, many animals at the zoo wouldn’t have the check ups and treatment they need. Keith, Real World Week Five, Fall Session 2016