The Care of Wildlife
Caring for wild animals is different than caring for domesticated animals and companion animals (pets) and requires specialized training and experience. From a veterinary medical perspective, it is a challenge to diagnose and treat patients that not only cannot express themselves verbally, but which don’t want to be approached or handled. Wild animals that are sick or injured also tend to hide their symptoms as not to be recognized as easy prey by a predator. Wild animals are most relaxed when they are, well, in the wild, so their natural behavior is often not observed very closely. Additionally, their temperament can make treating them more difficult as compared to domesticated animals.
Wildlife Care: Background
Unlike domesticated animals, pets and even acclimatized species in zoos, wild animals must be able to fend for themselves once they are released from veterinary care. Any disability that makes it difficult for a wild animal to find and catch food or avoid predators compromises their ability to survive in the wild.
Occasionally, certain wildlife species that have suffered injuries are first brought to veterinary hospitals. While it is common for a veterinarian to take in wildlife and provide emergency care, in the U.S., it’s illegal for veterinary practices to perform long-term care of wild animals unless they have obtained a state wildlife rehabilitator’s permit.1 There are many listed resources available that focus on educating the public and for veterinarians to consult if they come across injured or distressed wildlife.
Modern Capture of Wild Animals
The practice of capturing wild animals is as old as human existence. In today’s modern world however, the reasons for capturing wild species are more diverse than those of obtaining food and clothing. Millions of wild animals are captured each year as part of damage and disease control programs, population regulation activities, wildlife management efforts, and research studies.2 Many aspects of animal capture (especially those associated with protected wildlife species) are regulated by governmental agencies around the world, and animal welfare concerns are important regardless of the reason for capture.
Today, successful capture programs for wild animals are the result of the efforts of experienced veterinarians, wildlife biologists and wildlife managers who have planned, studied, and tested methods over many decades. There are many methods that are used for the capture of wild animals, including traps, snares, nets and the like. For many species however, chemical immobilization is often the method of choice, as it provides a safer, lower-stress experience for the animal. In cases where an animal is injured or otherwise requires medical intervention, this method has proven to be a far superior capture technique to physical immobilization.
There are many colleges, universities and zoological societies that offer safe capture courses and workshops for veterinarians and other personnel involved in the capture of wildlife. These typically cover such topics as species-specific capture scenarios, drug combinations and formulations, proper injection sites for chemical immobilization, capture strategies to minimize capture stress on animals, commercially-available darting systems, drug dosage calculations and medical emergencies associated with capture and handling, to name just a few.
Interested in learning more about safe capture? The San Diego Zoo now offers courses in safe capture techniques and best practices. Learn reliable, safe, and effective techniques for the species you work with and the scenarios you encounter!
1La Grange, M. (2006). The capture, care, and management of wildlife: Comprehensive studies on the management, capture, and translocation of wildlife from source to final release. Pretoria: Van Schaik.
2Schemnitz, Sanford & Batcheller, Gordon & Lovallo, Matthew & White, H. & Fall, Michael W.. (2009). The Wildlife Management Techniques Manual. 232-269.
About NexGen Pharmaceuticals
NexGen Pharmaceuticals is an industry-leading veterinary compounding pharmacy, offering sterile and non-sterile compounding services nationwide. Unlike other veterinary compounding pharmacies, NexGen focuses on drugs that are difficult to find or are no longer available due to manufacturer discontinuance or have yet to be offered commercially for veterinary applications, but which still serve a critical need for our customers. We also specialize in wildlife pharmaceuticals, including sedatives and their antagonists, offering many unique options to serve a wide array of zoo animal and wildlife immobilization and anesthesia requirements.
Our pharmacists are also encouraged to develop strong working relationships with our veterinarians in order to better care for veterinary patients. Such relationships foster an ever-increasing knowledge base upon which pharmacists and veterinarians can draw, making both significantly more effective in their professional roles.
Disclaimer
The information contained in this blog post is general in nature and is intended for use as an informational aid. It does not cover all possible uses, actions, precautions, side effects, or interactions of the medications shown, nor is the information intended as medical advice or diagnosis for individual health problems or for making an evaluation as to the risks and benefits of using a particular medication. You should consult your veterinarian about diagnosis and treatment of any health problems. Information and statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration ("FDA"), nor has the FDA approved the medications to diagnose, cure or prevent disease. Medications compounded by NexGen Pharmaceuticals are prepared at the direction of a veterinarian. NexGen Pharmaceuticals compounded veterinary preparations are not intended for use in food and food-producing animals.
NexGen Pharmaceuticals, LLC does not recommend, endorse or make any representation about the efficacy, appropriateness or suitability of any specific dosing, products, procedures, treatments, services, opinions, veterinary care providers or other information that may be contained in this blog post. NEXGEN PHARMACEUTICALS, LLC IS NOT RESPONSIBLE NOR LIABLE FOR ANY ADVICE, COURSE OF TREATMENT, DIAGNOSIS OR ANY OTHER INFORMATION, SERVICES OR PRODUCTS THAT YOU OBTAIN THROUGH THIS BLOG POST.