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“They are exquisitely hard to monitor just by spotting them
wildlife continued because they spend so much time in or under water,” said Meehan.
The implanted transmitter solves this problem. The informa-
tion that flows in from the transmitters will give researchers a
better understanding of the otters’ lives and their watery habitat
and what can be done to help them thrive in the area again.
In 2016, CZS veterinarians also implanted a radio transmitter
and completed a health assessment on a wild badger caught
by FPCC wildlife biologists. Badgers are rare in Northeastern
Illinois, and elusive. By monitoring the badger, wildlife biologists
will be able to study its behavior, health, habits, and interactions
with other wildlife.

Conserving Native Species and Habitats

The conservation of animals and their habitats are goals shared
by CZS and the FPCC. The Forest Preserves of Cook County—
an aggregate of wetlands, woodlands, savannahs, and prairies—is
home to more than 100 threatened and endangered species of
plants and animals. One of them is the native Blanding’s turtle,
an endangered medium-sized, yellow-throated turtle.
Several times a year, Dr. Matt Allender, CZS clinical veterinar-
ian and specialist on herps (reptiles and amphibians), performs
health assessments on Blanding’s turtles in Cook and the
surrounding counties. Allender is also the founder and director
of the University of Illinois Wildlife Epidemiology Laboratory,
which focuses on the conservation of free-ranging wildlife.
He and his students accompany Anchor in the field.
Top: Anchor (left) looks on as CZS clinical veterinarian Dr. Matt Allender and a student “We collect blood samples and swab the mouths of the turtles,”
conduct a health assessment of a Blanding’s turtle. said Allender. They also collect height and length measurements
Bottom: A transmitter was surgically implanted into this musky fish by a CZS veterinarian, and evaluate the weight and body condition of the animals.
enabling wildlife biologists to track its movements. In their lab, Allender and his students test specimens for levels
of anemia, immune status, electrolytes, kidney and liver function,
and pathogens such as the ranavirus which has caused mass
Cook County. He has worked on the Urban Coyote Project with die-offs and population declines of fish, reptiles, and amphibians
other researchers who capture coyotes and put radio-transmitter around the world.
collars around their necks. By 2018, Project researchers were Since turtles are long-lived, they reflect the health of their
monitoring the movements of approximately 1,000 coyotes. habitat. “By testing the turtles across different areas, we can see
It’s the largest coyote study of its kind in the world. which habitats support good health,” said Allender. “And we can
Anchor has used collars with other animals, including raccoons try to identify habitats where health outcomes are poor and try
and white-tailed deer. When collars couldn’t be attached to to modify them.” All across Chicagoland, Allender and his team
animals without necks, such as fish, snakes, and otters, CZS have found new viruses and bacteria in Blanding’s turtles. Learn-
veterinarians provided their services. Fortunately, transmitter ing how the habitat can affect diseases enables biologists to make
technology and design have come a long way. For example, more informed decisions to improve conservation.
Dr. Jennifer Langan, senior staff veterinarian with CZS and
clinical associate professor of veterinary clinical medicine at the
University of Illinois, has performed the minor surgical procedure Preventing Disease Spread
to implant small transmitters into fish. “The World Health Organization has declared that 80 percent of
CZS veterinarians implanted radio transmitters into six North emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic—they start in animals
American river otters that were recently spotted in Cook County and end up in us,” said Anchor. “These have included COVID-19,
waterways. Once plentiful, the otters were hunted to near extinc- West Nile virus, rabies, SARS, monkeypox, and the list goes on.
tion in the state. In 1995, the Illinois Department of Natural The foundation of the Wildlife Division in the FPCC is based on
Resources released otters from other states into Illinois waterways. disease surveillance.”

34 GATEWAYS | WILDLIFE