“ER”-Animal Style

Paul Harter Veterinary Medical Center (HVMC) at the Wild Animal Park is very similar to a human hospital, but it is for animals. Animals come to HVMC for routine examinations and treatment and for emergency procedures. The doctors who work at the HVMC achieved the same veterinary degree as the veterinarians that we take our pets to. However, the vets at HVMC deal with a much larger variety of animals, so they are much more knowledgeable about a greater variety of species. Because of this, they must have special training in exotic animal care and, in the case of Dr. Deena Brenner, complete a residency that includes work at the Wild Animal Park, San Diego Zoo, and SeaWorld. This extra knowledge enables the vets at HVMC to be more adept at treating their exotic patients.

The animals housed at the Wild Animal Park are ambassadors of their species. Their presence serves to educate Park visitors about species, to create awareness about habitat destruction and extinction, and, most importantly, to make an impact on visitors by establishing an emotional connection that will cause the visitors to care about the animals and their habitats in the wild. The team of doctors, keepers, and vet techs at HVMC are what keep these animals healthy and happy, enabling them to be the best ambassadors possible.

Claire, Real World Team

Dancing Servals

At Hunte Amphitheater at the San Diego Zoo, we met animal trainer Susan Patch of the Behavior Operations Department. She graduated from University of California, Davis with a bachelor’s degree in animal sciences and then attended Moorpark College, where she was trained to work directly with zoo animals. By training the animals, animal keepers have easier jobs: they can safely direct a trained animal to go through nail trims, transfers, and blood withdrawals. For untrained animals, such activities would be impossible without the animal being under severe stress, or anesthesia.

To demonstrate some of the animal training techniques and the natural behaviors of a wild cat, Ms. Patch brought out adorable 4-year-old African serval twins for us to see on stage. Trained at an early age through positive reinforcement (rewards for correct behavior), they could perform numerous behaviors, ranging from standing still to jumping six feet high.

However, animal training techniques do not only apply to animals. In fact, Ms. Patch trained me with a clicker. Whenever I performed an action close to the one she wanted me to do, she would make a “click” with the clicker. Only when I finally performed exactly what she wanted would she tell me to stop. This experiment proved that humans could be trained just like our fellow animals. Ms. Patch’s demonstration of behavioral training showcases a basic tenet of psychology: behavioral enrichment. All intelligent beings require this nourishment in order to develop their minds.

Haoyu - Real World Team

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