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HOSPITAL continued
Society veterinarians recently
conducted five research projects on
anesthesia protocols for several animal
species, including Bennett’s wallabies,
Goeldi’s monkeys, and ring-tailed
lemurs. Each project has contributed to
refined techniques that make anesthesia
procedures more effective.
To improve the welfare of animals in
all zoological institutions, the Society is and then compile the most accurate
committed to increasing the number of
veterinarians with specialty training in
zoo animal anesthesiology. We regularly
welcome postdoctoral anesthesia residents
from the University of Illinois College of
Veterinary Medicine for training rotations. may ask you to take a special cup to
They spend four to six weeks per year here
learning anesthesia techniques for a wide
range of animals other than traditional
domestic species. Our anesthesiology
program is competitive, and we receive
applications from residents at veterinary
schools across the globe.
The newly inaugurated Anesthesia and
Analgesia Fellowship is a clinical training their environment might be affecting
program that is found only at Brookfield
Zoo. This fellowship is designed to
provide focused clinical training and
unique research opportunities for a
veterinarian who has already completed an
anesthesiology residency. The application
and selection process for the first fellow
was highly competitive. Ultimately, Dr.
Julie Balko was selected for the position
in 2016 and 2017. Her research here
focuses on the use of near-infrared tissue
spectroscopy, technology that measures
the flow of oxygenated blood in the tissues
of anesthetized animals. This tool has not
been used with zoo animals before and
holds great promise for further improving
the safety of anesthesia.
OUTPATIENT WELL-BEING
Care for the animals doesn’t come solely
from the veterinary department. Staff
30 GATEWAYS | MEDICAL REPORT
PIECES OF THE
WELFARE PUZZLE
We want the animals that call
Brookfield Zoo home to receive
the best care possible. We provide
them with what we perceive to be
the ideal mix of elements—realistic
habitats, appropriate nutrition, and
engaging play items, for example—
information about how they are faring.
One tool for gathering data on
the animals’ welfare is biological
samples, similar to how a doctor
the restroom with you. Your doctor
analyzes the chemicals in the sample
to make sure you are healthy.
Traditionally in zoos, we’ve focused
primarily on studying animals’ urine
and feces to determine the level of stress machine enables us to tease apart
hormones produced by their adrenal
glands. That gives us insight into how
them. Blood also yields much valuable
information, but nobody enjoys being
poked with a needle, so we use less
invasive strategies whenever possible.
Now we’re taking the analysis of
biological samples further. Research
staff are working with animal care and
veterinary staff to begin “biobanking,”
collecting samples of shed feathers, hair, affect the animals living there.
Samples are collected from a snow
leopard for research and biobanking.
and reptile skin to obtain an even more
complete picture of what’s happening
with each animal. Animal care
specialists are even training dolphins and
polar bears to allow saliva to be collected.
Samples such as hair provide a greater
amount of information about an animal.
While urine and feces offer data on the
animal’s past few days or hours, hair can
provide information going back weeks or
months. We hope these new “biosamples”
will also make it possible to gather
information about the animal’s immune
function and autonomic nervous system,
which regulates a fight-or-flight response.
What’s more, pioneering technology
like our newly acquired high-
performance liquid chromatography
individual molecules in a sample so we
can investigate the specific components
of a complex biological sample.
The more we know, the better we
can care for our animals. Using the
most noninvasive methods, biosamples
provide us with positive or negative
indicators of well-being. Information
gleaned from these assessments can
help us determine how changes
such as revamping an exhibit habitat