I found some refuge in a nature preserve today--an old farm that possesses about 5 miles of hiking trails. While the going was easy in this relatively flat landscape, it did comfort me to be surrounded by trees and green and to watch wild animals and not hear cars for a few hours.
Things at my internship have been going fairly well recently. We had two sad and serious emergency cases that I assisted in. The first case feels too grave to write of. The second was a baby boat-billed heron that fell from his nest along with a sibling. Despite intensive treatments, emergency drugs, and CPR, one of the two chicks died. I performed the necropsy and was confronted with massive internal hemorrhaging, due to various organ damages, including a fractured liver. (I'd never seen a fractured liver before). Thankfully, the second chick was less critical on presentation, and with the help of the vet staff is now doing fabulous. He will soon leave ICU and return to his home exhibit in a small cage for observation for a while until he is ready to be released into the larger exhibit. This scenario is not a unique one among captive birds. In the wild, birds fall out of the nest regularly, and they die. It may be because they are not healthy, and can't properly keep themselves in the nest. It may be because they are unhealthy or not neurologically sound, and the parents push them, because they are not viable offspring. It may be caused by another bird flying over or attempted predation. It may be pure accident. Whatever the cause, it is not unnatural for a baby bird to fall from a nest. Hand-rearing all babies born in captivity could prevent nest accidents, but is not in the best interest of the birds. Babies do best when they are raised by their parents and taught natural behaviors of their species. Babies raised by humans often suffer from imprinting, and become confused about their identity. Confused birds often lash out against humans or are overly-friendly with them in adulthood, making them unsuitable for a zoo situation. While sad to have lost this baby, I am thankful the sibling survived and that it can go back to its home very soon. Isn't it just precious?
I've been enjoying following some of our resident patients who stay off exhibit permanently due to chronic conditions. Bam continues to be adorable, and we have found that if you play a seriema call on your phone, he will call back to it. Here he is getting a physical exam to check on how his arthritis pain is doing.
Two of our chronic cases of bumble foot that we are treating are coming along nicely. Bumblefoot is also known as pododermatitis. Basically, the skin on the bottom of the foot becomes infected. It is a common problem of bird in captivity. Basically, the bottom of the bird's feet get irritated for any number of reasons from rough perching to being on their feet more than they would in the wild to wet floors, etc. The irritated skin is susceptible to infection with resident Staph bacteria. Further tissue trauma can lead to infection with other bacteria or yeast. Management of bumblefoot can be intensive and take a long time, but I am pleased to say that our two cases that we are treating several times a week with new bandages, topical debriding, flushing, antibiotics, antifungals, and soft footing in their enclosures are healing nicely. There is still a long road ahead, but watching that pink, fresh granulation tissue start to fill in the area is very satisfying.
We've been doing some yearly physical exams on penguins lately. These little guys are so well behaved. They attend birthday parties here, and have been on TV more than once lately due to the Pittsburgh Penguins winning the Stanley Cup. They walk onto the scale for us before our exam and walk back into their crates. The only time they aren't exactly angels is during blood draws. We have to get blood from penguins from a vein that runs across the top of their foot. Their feathers are way too dense to be able to get blood from a wing vein or from the jugular, so the foot is the best option. However, they tend to kick alot right before the needle goes in. It makes for a frustrating experience, but the talented vets here are quick on the draw, and we have been able to get blood on all the penguins I have assisted with thus far. Here's one of the girls getting weighed in a bucket. She didn't want to stand still on the scale so she had to be contained.
The sloth continues to be adorable, and he is growing very fast. He's now producing poops every two days or so! (An adult sloth in the wild poops about once every 7 days, but he's growing fast now). Let me tell you, sloth poop is stinky, people. I adore the little creature, but doing his laundry is not a favorite chore of mine.
Speaking of laundry...I found a recent quote that really appealed to me. I think many people don't recognize that the nature of zoo medicine is one where your patients live with you. Not only are we responsible for their healthcare, but for their feeding, sleeping, breeding, and cleaning. This involvement allows for really comprehensive medical care, and I really appreciate that part of the job, but it also can have its frustrations. The quote is from the book "Life at the Zoo," which I am currently reading.
"The zoo is like a living creature, demanding to be fed, bathed, and nurtured in a daily ritual of reincarnation."
Each morning, the routine begins again. All is scrubbed from yesterdays mess and made ready for the new mess of today. You get to know the patients on an intimate level, and for better or worse, they come to know you on an intimate level, as well.
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