wildlife vet??

[sfiroz]

What are some opportunities for wildlife vet med outside of zoos? I'm pretty sure I don't want to work in a zoo - I'm more interested in rehabilitating animals and then setting them back out into the wild, or something in that vein, but I read that most wildlife rehabilitators are not vets, and that they don't even get paid. I love dogs & cats, but I would love to work more with "nature", and all animals great and small!

Also, are there schools that are geared towards this? Is it a specialty? Can I just go to any vet school and then find a "wildlife residency"?

I'd appreciate any advice, thanks!

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[NStarz]

What are some opportunities for wildlife vet med outside of zoos? I'm pretty sure I don't want to work in a zoo - I'm more interested in rehabilitating animals and then setting them back out into the wild, or something in that vein, but I read that most wildlife rehabilitators are not vets, and that they don't even get paid. I love dogs & cats, but I would love to work more with "nature", and all animals great and small!

Also, are there schools that are geared towards this? Is it a specialty? Can I just go to any vet school and then find a "wildlife residency"?

I'd appreciate any advice, thanks!

As far as I know, most wildlife rehabbers are volunteer. There are some larger facilities that may have the capacity to hire a full-time veterinarian, but I don't think that there are that many of those. I also have a strong interest in wildlife, so I'm planning on working in small animal and then volunteering my time and expertise in wildlife rehab/rescue on the side.

Tufts has a new "conservation medicine" program as well, though I believe most of those jobs are genetics/molecular related as you are typically determining breeding lines, or even managerial where you are coming up with captive breeding-to-release programs etc. That's not to say that those are unimportant, though. You also may be interested in working in a wild-animal park like San Diego's, where it is not a zoo persay.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, please!

 

[lalzi22]

I worked at a wolf conservation center that was home to about 30 wolves that were rotated in and out for breeding and release programs. We had a vet that we would hire in to do basic check ups on pups and give lyme vaccines to the wolves every 3 years, but they are by no means anywhere near full time or even anywhere close to part-time. I think he actually worked with a number of conservation programs in the northeast as well as at a zoo. I believe that is sort of the norm- its difficult to be a purely wildlife vet and make a living.

 

[der2002]

sfiroz, if you're in california (my home state), there are a lot of really cool wildlife pre-vet opportunities:

http://www.ccwr.org/resources/jobs.htm

http://www.californiawildlifecenter.org/export/sites/cwc/join/index.html

specifically, check out the 8 week wildlife medicine externship where you work with Dr. Duane Tom and get a first look at wildlife medicine...

 

[sumstorm]

at a recent rehab conference, there wsa a lot of discussion about the lack of vets doing rehab work, but at the same time, the rehabbers (as volunteers) weren't interested in paying for vet care, and there really aren't funds available elsewhere that I have found. Many vets that work with large rehab centers do so on the side of their regular jobs.

If you are a current rehabber, you can see the conundrum (how much are you willing and able to pay for vet care?) if not, it is an interesting and valuable skill that might be worth pursueing.

Very few zoo vets do actual rehab work; the risks of contaminatig the zoo environs can be really high, and there isn't a lot of extra money to go towards animals where the hope is to release them.

 

[Minnerbelle]

If you're interested in being paid through a stable full time job doing wildlife rehab, it might be worthwhile to seek out well funded humane societies that also have a wildlife department. Though you won't be doing wildlife full time, and will be doing shelter med a majority of the time, it's the one job that I can think of where doing wildlife-rehab would be a part of your regular job description.

I've also known some veterinarians that run private SA clinics and offer assistance to home rehabbers. I'm not sure what qualifications you need in order to do that. Depending on the state you're in, it seems like there are pretty strict rules about what kinds of animals can set foot in a clinic (someone correct me if I'm wrong). At least in San Antonio, I was told that wildlife rabies vector species were not allowed on clinic premises.

Totally disregard the following if you know you want to become a vet of some sort, and just had an interest in wildlife. But if your genuine interest is in releasing wildlife back to mother nature though, and that's your calling in life, you might want to explore what kinds of jobs allow you to do that. Vet med would be a very costly way to do so, and you might find that a "wildlife vet" might not have the job description that you're imagining now.

For example, I've heard a couple of wildlife rehabbers gripe about how Tufts wildlife clinic rejects so many animals that come in. That's because a huge majority of animals that come in are orphaned (or snatched-by-people inadvertently) baby animals that are healthy and just need care until they're old enough to go back out in the wild. You definitely don't need vets to take care of these guys. A lot of the rehabilitation work can be done without a DVM, and there are certainly more organizations that hire full time rehabilitators than those that hire vets.

There are some larger wildlife clinics that have the funding to hire full time vets, but those are few and far between! That and beware, philosophies of some wildlife rehabbers are quite out there and don't mesh very well with the scientifically/medically minded. Being caught up in the middle of politics in an org as a veterinarian doesn't sound very appealing to me (though that goes with a lot of non-profits involving animals).

 

[sfiroz]

I also have a strong interest in wildlife, so I'm planning on working in small animal and then volunteering my time and expertise in wildlife rehab/rescue on the side.

That is something I'm definitely going to consider, though I'm not quite sure how to become very qualified for it.

Does anyone know of other DVM programs besides Tufts that are tailored for wildlife/conservation med?

 

[bardsle1]

I worked at a wildlife rehabilitation center on Sanibel Island, Florida called CROW (Center for rehabilitation of wildlife).

http://www.crowclinic.org/

They have 2 full time vets and one full time 1 year resident student who is a just graduated DVM. They also have a lot of interns and such and while I was there I met 3 students who were on rotation. I worked there last summer for three months as an extern and they provided housing for free. It was a great program, learned a lot about wildlife rehab and such and lots about alternative medicine in addition to western medicine. Just know that the days are VERY long (6/7am to 7pm 5 days a week) but well worth it if it is something you want to do and rewarding. PM me if you are interested in finding out more about the program but know there are programs out there that do wildlife rehab if you would like to pursue this field in veterinary medicine.

 

[NStarz]

Does anyone know of other DVM programs besides Tufts that are tailored for wildlife/conservation med?

Some of the schools have classes in wildlife/zoo med. UC Davis comes to mind--they have an optional track in wildlife/zoo. NCSU and LSU are also good. UF has the aquavet or whatever it's called there, and Cornell and UPenn also have something similar. Texas may as well? Not sure.

You can take some classes in non-pet exotics and then do an internship or residency if you want to specialize. If you're very interested in rehab, I would also look into getting certified. At least in my state (NJ), to become certified requires at least 1-2 years under a licensed wildlife rehabbers as a "wildlife apprentice," and then a qualifying exam.

Also, something to consider: I am friends with a home-rehabber who is not too fond of what the Fish and Wildlife people are doing in certain areas If so-called "nuisance" wildlife (coyotes, squirrels, rock doves, starlings, etc.) are brought to a large rehab facility, the rehabbers are instructed to euthanize no matter the health of the animal. Home-rehabbers don't want to play by the rules, so F&W is making it very difficult for them 🙁

 

[der2002]

If so-called "nuisance" wildlife (coyotes, squirrels, rock doves, starlings, etc.) are brought to a large rehab facility, the rehabbers are instructed to euthanize no matter the health of the animal. Home-rehabbers don't want to play by the rules, so F&W is making it very difficult for them 🙁

wow, I've never heard of that policy out here in southern california!
at my local wildlife rehab center, we treat plenty of squirrels and coyotes and release them when they are well accordingly...

 

[variegata]

wow, I've never heard of that policy out here in southern california!
at my local wildlife rehab center, we treat plenty of squirrels and coyotes and release them when they are well accordingly...

I haven't heard of that either (I'm also in CA). At the place I volunteer, we get lots of pigeons, opossums and house sparrows. Sparrows are actually an invasive species, but we treat them anyway!

 

[NStarz]

It's definitely not "official" policy that's written anywhere, but NJ went from 102 home-rehabbers last year to 27 this year. Which is a huge loss. I'm not sure how much anything is being enforced, but it is encouraged strongly.

 

[sumstorm]

That isn't an uncommon policy, often written, for nuisance species. IE, if coyotes are taking down pets in people's back yards, they may be listed as a nuisance or non-releasable species. I was pretty sure when I lived in NY, NJ had such policy in several counties. I don't dislike coyotes, but they have expanded the range they cover extensively, which can create conflict. I wouldn't want to explain to owners with fenced back yards that I am treating the coyote for release that killed their dog, especially if they have little kids. My folks pomeranian was attacked by coyotes less than 10' from the back door in Indiana. There are places where it is that bad.

Wildlife medicine and enviro medicine must include the health of the system. when animals become nuisances, they will be abused, tortured, and killed cruelly (antifreeze baits, wired baits, etc.) To be a good vet in that area, you will need to balance the needs of the individual with the needs of the ecosystem as a whole, artificial or natural.

Also, remember that in many states animals that can NOT breed on their own, even endangered species, will be euthanized. If they can't produce offspring, they are not contributing to the future stability of their species and are competing for resources in the system.

 

[NStarz]

That isn't an uncommon policy, often written, for nuisance species. IE, if coyotes are taking down pets in people's back yards, they may be listed as a nuisance or non-releasable species. I was pretty sure when I lived in NY, NJ had such policy in several counties. I don't dislike coyotes, but they have expanded the range they cover extensively, which can create conflict. I wouldn't want to explain to owners with fenced back yards that I am treating the coyote for release that killed their dog, especially if they have little kids. My folks pomeranian was attacked by coyotes less than 10' from the back door in Indiana. There are places where it is that bad.

Wildlife medicine and enviro medicine must include the health of the system. when animals become nuisances, they will be abused, tortured, and killed cruelly (antifreeze baits, wired baits, etc.) To be a good vet in that area, you will need to balance the needs of the individual with the needs of the ecosystem as a whole, artificial or natural.

This is getting slightly OT, but this is one my pet peeves. The only reason that coyotes, bears, foxes, etc, are being seen in urbanized/suburbanized areas is because of humans encroaching into their territory. Like that bear in NJ/NY. If we would leave them alone and stop cutting down their forests, there would be no sightings, no dogs being killed, etc. If the ecosystem was healthy, coyotes would not eat dogs (ie, if there was prey inside their natural habitat). So us killing deer, rabbits, is causing the coyotes to come and kill our dogs. It's not their fault that they are wild animals and need to eat. It is our fault because we know better.

/End rant. Hope I haven't offended anyone. Sorry if I did.

 

[sumstorm]

This is getting slightly OT, but this is one my pet peeves. The only reason that coyotes, bears, foxes, etc, are being seen in urbanized/suburbanized areas is because of humans encroaching into their territory. Like that bear in NJ/NY. If we would leave them alone and stop cutting down their forests, there would be no sightings, no dogs being killed, etc. If the ecosystem was healthy, coyotes would not eat dogs (ie, if there was prey inside their natural habitat). So us killing deer, rabbits, is causing the coyotes to come and kill our dogs. It's not their fault that they are wild animals and need to eat. It is our fault because we know better.

/End rant. Hope I haven't offended anyone. Sorry if I did.

Have you actually looked intothe historical documentation of the coyote range? how about red foxes? Historically, they weren't in NC. So YES I do MEAN expansion of their ranges.

BTW-NC, NJ, and IN all have more than abundant deer & rabbit. Deer are on my folks farm daily doing crop damage. So, if killing off prey is the issue, why take a dog 10' feet from a door, not a deer, or even a goat? Simple; convenience.

I just completed a course on enviro med. I agree urban sprawl is a problem, however, it isn't as simple as you make it seem.

 

[TrocarKarin]

The clinic I work at sees a ton of wildlife. Its a small two-doctor practice, and the owner has worked on cultivating relationships with many of the rehabbers, the DOW and other vets to let them know that she treats wildlife. Mostly we get suburban animals, like raccoons, squirrels and pigeons, but we've had geese, grebes, owls, falcons, deer and bats while I've worked there. All of her wildlife work is done for free, and she relies heavily on her rehabber network for the aftercare and release of most of the animals.

One of the nice things about the clinic, is she bought an old abandoned mini-golf course when she moved to her new location. The clinic is the small building that was on the property, and we have a big back area that's about an acre with a bunch of small ponds (remnants from the mini-golf days,) and we still have some of the mini-golf buildings (a fort, a castle and a windmill.) The whole area is fenced in, and it works really well for doing soft-releases of the wildlife.

Its not something she'll get rich doing, but its definitely a way to allow her to do what she feels is right for many non-domestic species. Plus, we get to come into work to things like this:

 

[that redhead]

You definitely do not need a DVM to rehabilitate wildlife. I volunteer at a rehabilitation center currently and a veterinarian comes by once or twice a week. She is not paid, she volunteers her time.

To be honest, if you want to be paid for your services/make it a career, your best bet is probably at a zoo.

 

[sirbuckie]

Though there aren't many paid veterinarians in rehabilitation... there are some. IE, there is a rehabilitation center in Texas that has a veterinarian on staff. She works LONG hours and does so much for the clinic... and she gets paid the same as the maintence man.

 

[Minnerbelle]

Though there aren't many paid veterinarians in rehabilitation... there are some. IE, there is a rehabilitation center in Texas that has a veterinarian on staff. She works LONG hours and does so much for the clinic... and she gets paid the same as the maintence man.

haha... i'm pretty sure I know which place you're talking about, and that's pretty much exactly what I was talking about in my earlier post about being at the mercy of the philosophies of non-scientifically minded people.

granted, i was there before there was a vet on staff, and maybe she's talked the crazy people there out of some of their outrageous practices... but i can't imagine it being all that much better and based on a staff member i'm still in touch with, i don't think it is.

(maybe i'm talking about a different place, but regardless, i'm off to vacation and will be off of the grid for the next week. sorry if i offended!)