Galápagos Islands

By Erin Beasley, North Carolina State University

During spring break of 2018, I traveled with thirty-one other veterinary students and two professors to the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador for a study abroad program.  I learned about the unique and diverse native species, local culture, and current scientific work with Galápagos tortoises.

After spending a night in Guayaquil, Ecuador, we flew to San Cristóbal.  Seeing the island from the air was fascinating because I noticed the different landscapes/geography of the island.  We walked to Darwin’s Cove and snorkeled there.  I was amazed by the plentiful wildlife, including sea lions, sea turtles, and many fish.  I was most excited to swim with the sea turtles.  While we were exploring the cove, I thought about how Darwin was there long ago.  Walking along the trail, we saw a beautiful sunset along with marine iguanas and sea lions.  We also spotted a marine iguana digging a nest.  The first day in the Galápagos Islands exceeded expectations, so we were excited for the rest of the week.

The next day, we performed health assessments on Galápagos tortoises at the Galapaguera.  I enjoyed learning about the handling techniques of the tortoises, the daily activities of the tortoises, and the involvement of the national park workers.  By the end of the day, I had taken temperature of tortoises, collected blood, obtained heart rates and respiratory rates, and observed their overall condition.  This experience showed me how field work is conducted in the islands, and it made me look forward to field work in the future.

Galápagos tortoiseWe also embarked on a SCUBA diving trip to Kicker Rock.  My favorite part was swimming within a very large school of fish.  Additionally, we swam with over fifty sharks, including a hammerhead shark.  It was interesting to compare the marine ecosystem with North Carolina’s.  Later that day, we hiked around La Loberia, where we saw dozens of marine iguanas, blue-footed boobies, and various gulls.

Marine iguana

We left San Cristóbal and arrived at Isabela Island.  This island was more remote.  We snorkeled at Concha de Perla, where I saw a variety of fish, sea lions, and marine iguanas.  One day, we hiked to the top of the volcano Cerro Negra and viewed the caldera.  This caldera is one of the largest in the world, and it was interesting to learn about the life cycle of lava from the tour guide.  I also biked to the Wall of Tears, which is a sad part of history in the islands.  However, it was good to learn about the history from a tour guide that is a descendent of the original inhabitants. 

Caldera of volcano Cerro Negra

After leaving Isabela Island, we traveled to Santa Cruz.  This island was more populated.  We visited the Charles Darwin Research Center, where we met the lead scientists there and saw Lonesome George.  I liked hearing about their current research and educational efforts.  We also visited the Darwin Animal Doctors Hospital.  This visit helped me understand how veterinary medicine can be conducted in remote settings.

When we returned to Guayaquil, we walked through the land iguana park, along the river, and climbed five hundred stairs to the lighthouse.  Through this adventure, I was able to observe the culture in this large city.

Overall, this study abroad program was fantastic.  I learned so much from seeing the various species in their natural habitat.  This experience also showed me public health issues and research opportunities there.  It was great to spend time with fellow classmates as well.  I am thankful for the support from the SAVMA Integrative Communications and Diversity Committee’s Diversity and Communications Development Travel Grant!

Too Much Cuteness!

These adorable photos were submitted by Christina Barrett from Western University and feature her cats, Thomas and Stiles, and her pups, Jade and Tiger!

StilesTiger

Thomas and Jade

Sunshine Committee Drawings

These whiteboard memes were drawn by Rachel Stahl from The Ohio State University for their Sunshine Committee each week.

Chalk Art

These creative pieces were submitted by "The Blurred Bison" from Oklahoma State University.

BloomGreatest Adventure

Wildlife Conservation Medicine in South Africa

By Stacie Munden, Ross University

When someone asks me what animals I want to work with, I usually respond with “I don’t know!” This past experience that I had in South Africa just solidified my answer being that now I have even less of an idea of the group of animals that I want to work with. Every time I work with new animals, it just adds to my long, growing list of animals that I want to work with! And Africa was the perfect place to add new animals to my list!

Right off the bat, when we arrived in South Africa, we were given the opportunity to work with animals. The first morning that we arrived, we got hands on opportunity with the horses by helping with grooming. For some of us that have had no previous experience with horses, it was a good introduction to being around them. My favorite aspect of the horses was that they were named after characters from the Lord of the Rings! This little detail foreshadowed how awesome the trip was to be since we were surrounded by such amazing people. That first night we went to the mountaintop and talked around the fire. Africa was proving to be the perfect place.

The next day we learned about hunting and how it relates to wildlife conservation. The explanation that stuck with me was that “if it pays it stays,” meaning that if it (wildlife conservation) is profitable, then it will continue to exist. In South Africa, conserving wildlife is made possibly by profiting from hunting. There are many regulations that go into it and the animals that are raised for hunting are treated very well. If they weren’t then they would lose money. So, these animals can exist because of the need for them. Wildlife conservation medicine is used to help transport these animals for breeding, genetics, hunting, among other things. The wildlife vets that we worked with were tasked with aiding in transport by reducing stress or injury.

Since these are large, wild animals, chemical restraint is the safest restraint technique for both the handler and the animal. The animals can be darted from a vehicle or a helicopter. We learned how to load a dart gun and practiced shooting targets, not only from the ground, but from a helicopter! It took me by surprise because I had no idea that we would be doing that and I’m terrified of heights, but it was incredible to see everything from that vantage point in the sky! I may have missed most of the targets, but that’s just a good reason to go back for more practice!

After learning about darting animals and the anesthetics used, we went on a few captures with the veterinarians, where we captured impala, nyala, blesbok and roan antelope (my favorite). Administering IM injections, restraining and monitoring these animals was incredible and terrifying at the same time. It’s much easier to appreciate the strength of these animals from up close.

One of the best days I had in South Africa was going to Kruger National Park. We saw so many animals that only previously existed for me in zoos and books. The best part of seeing these animals was that they were in their natural environment and were able to exhibit normal behaviors of a wild animal, which was slightly intimidating. Especially since we had elephants walking close to the vehicle and African wild dogs playing in the street. We spotted many beautiful species of birds as we drove past and saw buffalo, hippos, impala, zebra, warthogs, giraffes… At the end of our trip as the sun was about to set and we were about to head back we saw a group of parked cars. We drove closer and saw a cheetah bathing in the sunlight. Everyone’s eyes were locked on her as she stood up and walked away into the savannah. It was such an honor to see a cheetah and a pack of African wild dogs in their natural environment.

During our trip we also worked with some reptiles. We visited a crocodile farm where they were having problems with double scaling. Double scaling is an unwanted trait for use in clothing accessories and the cause is unknown. We drew blood from the crocodiles and performed a necropsy on some that would be used for testing to determine the cause of double scaling. We also visited a venom supply company that taught us restraint and blood drawing techniques on snakes!

This is just a snapshot of the experience I had during my trip to South Africa. I worked with so many animals over these 2 weeks during my break between semesters and I loved every second of it. I guess I do know what animals I want to work with, but it’s difficult to group them all together. So, for now I’ll just have to explain to people that I want to work with ALL animals.