Wild and Zoo Animal Veterinary Medicine: It's difficult, but not impossible

Though in both cases of wild and domestic, veterinarians are dealing with animals, and the obvious difference is that one will definitely bite, scratch, butt, gore, swipe, etc. while the other are tame and easy to handle, yet this is not true in all cases. At times, hand rise wild animals can be so tame, that they are more adorable than a grouchy snarling domestic. And some guard dogs are not one to play a fool with, they could easily rip our throat out if we traspass onto theit territory.

From veterinary medicine point of view, I have always treated all animals with the same medical principles I have learned in vet school. Myself and my fellow classmates did not have the privlege of being trained in wild and zoo animal medicine. Thus, I have to do the next  best thing, treating all sorts of wild species into 6 main groups: bovine, caprine, equine, feline, canine and avian, as a basis of my approach when I first started in this field. And honestly, I still use that approach from time to time whenever I come across any new speciess, on top of experiences and knowledges accumulated throughout the years.

The most distraught matter face by most if not all wildlife and zoo veterinarians,  are actually not about how to treat these animals, but the extremely low percentages (perhaps less than 10%) of successfully treated and recovered cases face. Livestock veterinarians may have the option of culling an unproductive or ill animal, to halt unnecessary cost and most importantly, to prevent the spread of disease. Veterinarians in the small animal clinics may get patients that has just begin to get sick, this of course due to owners' own dilligence, thus enhancing the chances of successful treatment. Wild and zoo animals, may be tame or able to tolerate close human contact or presence, they still possess the wild instinct to appear healthy and in good form, in order to avoid predation and being outcast from its group. Thus, unless the caretaker are very observant and know their animals well,  most of the time, animal are usually terminal when admitted or noticed to be ill. At this point of time, treatment is usually a futile effort. Also, culling of wild animals is usually not an option. Be it a precious endangered species, be it an expensive acquisition, be it a gift from the royal families or dignitaries, or culling would bring about violent outcry from the public. Therefore, the phrase: "Prevention is better than Cure" is upmost important, in cases where possible,  to be practice in the care of captive wild animals.

Prevention in terms of providing proper and balance diet, with ample supplements as we would never be able to provide all nutrients that the animal would able to obtain if it is roaming free in lush wilderness. Healthy animals is less likely to succumb to diseases, as we humans are. Take extra care in times of mating and calving seasons. Not only of traumatic injuries that may arise due to competitions between the animals, also the physiological stress animal is in due to changes of body condition, such as prgnancies, parturition, and lactation. Vaccination should be given if possible, without causing extreme stress to the animals. Also, we must always weigh the efficacies of vaccine used, and whether it may mutate in wild animals thus causing disease, instead of providing protection. In all cases, use dead vaccine, instead of live attenuated vaccine to avoid this problem from arising. Quarantine, medical examination and laboratory testing of newly acquired animals are most crucial, to prevent the entry of unknown, foreign and possible highly pathogenic and lethal agent of disease into our establishments. We should always remember, entry of pathogens is extremely easy, eradication of it on the other hand may be impossible.

For many veterinarians, wild and zoo animal medicine is both exciting and terrifying at the same time. However, they are actually not that different. With some logical and creative thinking (out of the box, but not out of the world), loads of determinations, lots of heart, and never give up hope, veterinarians would be able to tackle wildlife cases. Of course, be careful in the handling of wild animals, most would required to be anaesthetised before even the simplest physical examination could be carried out. Anaesthesia of wild animals, however, is another chapter all together. Doses and individual variations within the species are astounding.