00:00Hello and welcome to Audubon Zoo's Animal Health Care Center. My name is Dr. Bob
00:05McLean and I'm Audubon's senior veterinarian. My team and I tend to the
00:10health and wellness of over 1,200 animals at Audubon Zoo representing about 250
00:15different species. Our patients vary from the tiniest reptiles to the largest
00:21mammals and we need to be able to diagnose and treat all of them. People
00:25often ask us what a typical day is for us but every day is different and never
00:31boring. Our top priority is maintaining the health and wellness of every animal
00:36at Audubon Zoo and that starts with regular preventative care including
00:42vaccinations, parasite screenings, nutritional evaluations, and regular
00:48wellness exams. We customize our care for each animal into each stage of that
00:53animal's life. Zookeepers also train many of our animals to actively participate in
00:58their own care. The animals learn to open their mouths or present their paws so we
01:03can have a look at them. Many learn to accept an injection by hand for a
01:08vaccination or for medicine they may need or for anesthesia for a medical exam.
01:14Some animals even allow a blood sample to be taken. These and many other behaviors
01:18make their health care less stressful for them and less stressful for us. We focus
01:25on the overall health of the entire collection at Audubon Zoo. All new animals
01:30that come to the zoo go through a mandatory quarantine period to ensure they are
01:35not carrying diseases or parasites that could spread and potentially harm the
01:40other animals in our collection. If an animal gets sick we may isolate it during
01:45treatment for the same reason. Unfortunately animals do occasionally get
01:50sick or injured and we are always prepared to respond immediately to
01:54diagnose and treat them with a high standard of medical care. We often consult
01:58and work with veterinary specialists such as cardiologists, dentists, surgeons,
02:05dermatologists, and ophthalmologists to name a few. We even consult with human
02:09doctors on occasion. When it comes to illness and injury, zookeepers are a first line of
02:15defense. Animals can't say how they feel or what hurts, but their keepers know them
02:22very well and can quickly tell by an animal's behavior when something is not
02:26right. We learn to trust the instincts of our zookeepers.
02:33Zoological medicine is a young and vast discipline filled with unanswered
02:37questions, novel case studies, and fascinating firsts. There is plenty of
02:42opportunity for research and it is an important part of what we do. Knowledge
02:47gained and shared through research can impact an individual animal or an entire
02:51species. We are actively involved in research to advance zoological medicine
02:56for animals in our care and in the wild. We learn from the animals we treat and we
03:03share that knowledge with others in our profession. Our animal health team
03:06publishes our research studies, participates in professional
03:10conferences, and develops treatment protocols for every species in our care.
03:15We are also committed to helping train the next generation of zoological experts by
03:20hosting veterinary students, interns, and residents throughout the year.
03:25Every person in the zoo field is passionate about wildlife and conservation. A rewarding
03:31part of our work is using the skills and knowledge we gain from treating our
03:34animals at Audubon Zoo to support and protect wild populations. Our zoo
03:39health care team is part of the larger Audubon veterinary team that participates
03:44in conservation research and field work. It takes us around Louisiana and
03:48throughout the world to save species and protect wildlife.
03:53Your visit, membership, and support of Audubon Nature Institute makes all this possible. Thank you so much.
04:01Thank you so much.
