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Blogs from the Field

A healthy future for wildlife, people, and planet.

A sea turtle receiving treatment.

I grab a pair of gloves from the hospital and walk out into the tank area. I am not sure why I put gloves on - 90% of the time they get soaked anyway. As I approach the tank, the other veterinary extern heads into the storage area to grab a net. Turns out there is no need....
Kristina Ceres in Tasmania.

In October 2023, I had the opportunity to travel to Tasmania, the island state of Australia, to learn more about one of its most iconic species, the Tasmanian devil. Tasmanian devils are the world’s largest carnivorous marsupials, and they play a key ecological role as scavengers and in suppressing populations of invasive species....
Christian Mazariegos placing a tail guard to prevent damage to the tail feathers on a red-tailed hawk anesthetized for radiographs.

Santa Barbara is widely regarded as one of the most breathtaking coastal cities within the state of California. Home to perfect weather, beautiful beaches, five-star restaurants, and lively bars, it’s pretty safe to assume that I had a “wild” time and partied it up in this amazing city during the ten weeks I spent living there. Well, not exactly. Instead, I had a “wild” time treating wildlife at the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network (SBWCN) as a veterinary extern....
Danielle Keerbs shown changing a bandage.

My heart hammers in my chest as I unlock the door to the enclosure, my eyes hunting through the mesh to find the animal inside. It’s not just the heat making my palms sweaty as I open the door and duck inside; it’s not just the exercise making me short of breath. Of all the animals in the clinic, this is the one that terrifies me the most: the one-armed, two-toed sloth named Ace.... 
Head veterinarian, Dr. Ana Bastos, and veterinary intern, Sarah Abdelmessih with the cheetah cubs after their vaccinations.

This past summer, with support from Cornell’s Expanding Horizons Program, I had the opportunity to work with the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Otjiwarongo, Namibia as a veterinary extern....
Laci Taylor on JGI truck

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....