Alicia, looking into a microscope at boa blood.

On any given day at the San Diego Zoo or Wild Animal Park, a rare or endangered species may suddenly collapse from some unknown ailment (knock on wood). When this happens, intense, rapid care is needed, preferably with the most advanced technology, and it is safe to say that the Wild Animal Park and Zoo excel at both. However, the physical aspects of caring for a sick or injured animal, although important, may overshadow the deeper biological aspects. Although it seems odd to test an animal that is happily frolicking about, it is in fact an excellent preventive measure, for there are times when something as simple as a parasite, or something as harmful as diabetes, can be found. However, lab work done at the extensive and technologically advanced Paul Harter Veterinary Medical Center at the Wild Animal Park is also done to benefit human health, since there are diseases that can jump between animals and humans, known as zoonotic diseases. Wildlife clinical pathology, although seemingly unrelated to humans, is in fact extremely important in guarding the health of animals and humans alike. Moreover, the small-but-growing field could perhaps provide answers for why a disease affects humans the way it does, how animals resist such a disease and if this could be applied to humans, as well as other questions of interest to both physicians and the common person. The importance of clinical pathology cannot be underestimated, and the sprawling and advanced department at the Wild Animal Park is just another sign of the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park’s status as one of the finest zoological organizations in the world.

~Liz, Real World Team

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.