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@ Research > Conservation & Wildlife Research
Conservation & Wildlife Research
Introduction
Our goal is to collaborate with other investigators from forestry, wildlife health, ecology, zoology, biology, conservation and zoological collections. Collaboration between veterinary medicine and other university colleges and institutions will also provide opportunities to utilize biologic materials that may otherwise be discarded. If you plan to handle exotic or wildlife species we would appreciate the opportunity to collect samples for other on-going projects (e.g. blood for disease surveys).
We would be pleased to consult with other researchers that are working with, or considering research involving, exotic animal species or native wildlife, including amphibians, fish, invertebrates, reptiles, mammals, and birds. We can offer assistance in wildlife population health evaluation and mass mortality/morbidity investigation, as well as management, feeding, and handling of captive amphibians, fish, invertebrates, reptiles, mammals, and birds. In addition, preventative medicine operating procedures, including quarantine, health screening, anti-parasite treatments, and vaccination can be designed to suit your needs. Our veterinary services also include physical examinations, data recording and detecting evidence of disease, and diagnostic sample collection (including urine, feces, hair, feather, skin, blood, synovial fluid, cerebrospinal fluid, lung and gastric lavage, and tissue biopsies). Anesthesia support services are also available in both laboratory and field situations. The availability of safe and reversible drugs delivered by inhalation or remote darting systems makes anesthesia a safe and reliable technique. Advanced diagnostic imaging (radiology, ultrasonography, endoscopy, CT and MRI) is best performed at the College of Veterinary Medicine; however, field radiography, ultrasonography, and endoscopy are possible. Surgery, including; transmitter implants, drug implants, tissue/organ removal, reproductive sterilization, etc, can be performed at the College of Veterinary Medicine, in other laboratories, or in certain situation, in the field. Advice is also available for humane euthanasia and proper necropsy procedures, including data recording sheets and proper sample collection and storage. Veterinarians are also invaluable in the design of animal use proposals to ensure appropriate animal welfare through the use of modern sample collection techniques, safe anesthesia and the use of analgesics.
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A few of our research projects and collaborations are outlined below:
Sturgeon Conservation Project
As part of an on-going project to repatriate endangered sturgeon, it was necessary to release and track sentinel fish of low genetic value to determine the suitability of the wild habitat to support endangered sturgeon. Previous attempts to sterilize sturgeon using conventional surgical techniques had been largely unsuccessful. A group of Gulf of Mexico sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi) were successfully sterilized using endoscopic techniques, and implanted with radio-transmitters in preparation for a telemetry study.
[ Hernandez-Divers SJ, Bakal RS, Hickson BH, Rawlings CA, Wilson GH, Radlinsky M, Hernandez-Divers SM and Dover SR. (2004). Endoscopic sex determination and gonadal manipulation in Gulf of Mexico sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi). Journal of Zoo & Wildlife Medicine, 35: 459-470. ]
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Giant Gomeran Lizard Conservation Project
A previously considered extinct species of lizard was rediscovered on the island of La Gomera, off the northwest coast of Africa. The giant gomeran lizard, Gallotia bravoana, is highly endangered and at risk from extinction from the feral cat population. A conservation effort to save this species was initiated by the regional and central Spanish Government. Six lizards were captured and brought into captivity for a complete health evaluation including animal husbandry, physical examination, hematologic, serum/plasma biochemistry, coprologic, and radiographic findings. Subsequently the first documented captive breeding success of this species was reported, and the captive population has continued.
[ Hernandez-Divers SJ, Lafortune M, Silvetre AM and Pether J (2003). Assessment and conservation of the giant Gomeran lizard (Gallotia bravoana). Veterinary Record, 152: 395-399. ]
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Baird's Tapir Conservation Project
The Baird's tapir is a CITES I species, considered threatened or endangered throughout its range. As part of an on-going ecological study of a population of Baird's tapirs (Tapirus bairdii), 32 tapirs living in Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica, were immobilized and radiocollared. From 1996-2001 a new anesthetic protocol was designed and a health investigation of this population was realized. The anesthetic protocol allowed the safe immobilization of individuals and revolutionized studies on free-ranging tapirs. The health investigation, which catalogued a variety of pathogens to which these animals are susceptible, can be utilized for the future management of either captive animals, or free-ranging tapirs who face more and more frequent contact with livestock species.
[ Hernandez-Divers SM, Aguilar RA, Leandro-Loria D, Foerster CR (2004). Health evaluation of a radiocollared population of free-ranging Baird's tapirs (Tapirus bairdii) in Costa Rica. Journal of Zoo & Wildlife Medicine, accepted July 2004. ]
[ Foerster (Hernandez-Divers), SM, Bailey J, Aguilar R, Loria D and Foerster C. Butorphanol/Xylazine/Ketamine Immobilization of Free-Ranging Baird's Tapirs. Journal of Wildlife Diseases, 36: 335-341. ]
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River Otter Translocation Project
The New York River Otter Project translocates otters from the northern to the western portion of New York State, where otters have previously been extirpated. Otters were captured and transported to the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, where Dr. Hernandez-Divers, along with other veterinarians on the project, treated them for capture-related injuries, parasite and other diseases and, when ready, anesthesized them and fitted them with intra-abdominal transmitters.
[ Hernandez-Divers, SM, Kollias, GV, Abou-Madi, N, Hartup, B (2001). Surgical technique for abdominal radiotransmitter placement in North American river otters (Lutra canadienses). Journal of Zoo & Wildlife Medicine 32 (2): 202-205. ]
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Gopher Tortoise Reproductive Evaluation
Herpetologists and ecologists at the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory were interested in the reproductive evaluation of a group of translocated Gopher tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus). These animals were anesthetized and examined. Blood collected for a disease serosurvery and evaluation of the reproductive tract was undertaken using both ultrasonography and endoscopy. The information gained provided a detailed evaluation of both health and reproductive status in these animals.
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Evaluation of Dolphin Sperm for Bacterial Contaminants
The purpose of this project was to design a diagnostic probe to detect the DNA of Gram positive or Gram negative bacteria in order to screen dolphin sperm prior to artificial insemination. The objectives to reach this end were:
- determine the sensitivity of a novel PCR assay in detecting nucleic acid from all known Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, including Brucella and Erysipelothrix spp;
- establish a theorized baseline contamination level for normal fresh and frozen dolphin sperm; and
- evaluate samples from dolphins to establish "acceptable" levels of contamination prior to artificial insemination.
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