Blogs from the Field
A healthy future for wildlife, people, and planet.
March 22, 2023
I vividly remember the night before I left for Tajikistan; I was nervous, excited, and utterly exhausted. I had just finished wrapping graduation gifts for my roommates and had just about moved everything out of where I was living for the last two years (including my bed)....
February 11, 2023
Six years ago, on a regular workday, I was sitting at my desk tagging photos from a camera trap survey. Late in the afternoon, a picture of an uncanny species baffled me. It looked somewhat like a domestic dog, but taller and longer-bodied....
December 16, 2022
by
Martin Gilbert
It all started with an unexpected text message - “Do you know of any veterinarians willing to assist a snow leopard collaring project in a remote corner of eastern Kyrgyzstan?” One jumped immediately to mind…me!
November 04, 2022
As one of the seven natural wonders of the world, Victoria Falls draws travelers from around the world to experience the majestic shower of falling waters. After connecting with the Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust (VFWT) and securing a position on their team, I began planning travels to a country I knew little about....
September 07, 2022
Poultry health, harmful algal blooms, and Kenyan fishing communities—you might be wondering, how exactly are these concepts linked? Join me on the tale of my summer in Kenya, where I was exploring these topics....
June 24, 2022
by
Emma Houck
The equatorial sun is fierce and radiates off the field of lava rocks that make up the rugged shoreline. My co-investigators and I are swiftly processing twenty Sally Lightfoot crabs that were collected from the nearby rocks. For each crab we individually identify them, measure dimensions, obtain a body weight, perform a physical exam, and count a heart rate to assess their health....
May 20, 2022
by
Karyn Bischoff
I have an affinity for bees. I came by it honestly: my grandfather was a beekeeper. Upon his death decades ago, I was allowed to take a few small keepsakes from his home; one of my choices was his beekeeping book, “The Hive and the Honey Bee, Edited by Roy A. Grout.” His copy was printed in 1954, but the history of the book dates a 101 years earlier (authored by Langstroth) and continued through 2015 (edited by Graham)....
April 12, 2022
In November 2019, my classmate, Hannah Padda, DVM ’22, and I were selected by Dr. Robin Radcliffe, a Cornell wildlife veterinarian and associate professor of practice in wildlife and conservation medicine, as two of six participants for his 2020 Engaged Cornell team....
July 28, 2021
by
Karyn Bischoff
One word: nurdles. Nurdles are plastic pellets, approximately the size and shape of lentils or split peas. Nurdles are manufactured, and then shipped to companies across the planet to be made into other things — other plastic things....
February 16, 2021
A few weeks ago I learned about trypanosome parasites in parasitology class. As the professor explained what diseases these parasites cause, one species of trypanosome in particular stood out to me, Trypanosoma evansi. T. evansi is transmitted by tabanid flies and is found throughout Africa, Asia and tropical America, and it causes a disease called surra in all domestic species.