In 2010 after graduating as a veterinarian, I had plans to open my own pet clinic. But my dreams fell prey to the huge investment involved in starting such a venture.
That doesn’t mark an end to my career as a veterinarian, as soon after applying I got an internship in Texas, USA, which required me to work for wildlife rescue, rehabilitation, and release. Being in close proximity to wildlife provoked my interest in wildlife and particularly about the wildlife of Pakistan. My interest brought me to the decision to provide my voluntary services for Lahore Zoo, Pakistan. To my utter surprise, I came to know the stark reality of poor database pertaining to wildlife in the country. The records are at least decades old, if not centuries, that strikes me hard. This reality served as a pivotal point and initiate my pursuit for studying wildlife. My destiny pushed me to it as I was unable to get US visa (due to obvious reasons, which are not necessary to mention here). I set off as a wildlife researcher and selected Wildlife and Ecology as a major in my graduate studies. It was not an easy journey, I had to travel to another city every morning to take classes, but the ambiance of my class fellows and teachers never let me give up. The whole struggle paid me well in form of the knowledge bank that I acquire during my studies. For me, the saying come true that “do what you love and you don’t have to work a single day” As I paved through my studies and volunteership at Lahore Zoo, a behavioral ambiguity nudge me constantly, the lack of association between veterinarians and non-vets (biologists, ecologists, and zoologists etc.), even to the point of rivalry. And that bugged me because to my immediate knowledge veterinarians do great jobs in saving (curing) wildlife. After M Phil, I got a scholarship and I started my Ph.D. in Thailand, I decided to choose the same field and started working on ecology-related issues, here after two years when I am collecting data in the field I have truly realized the prominence of having ecological knowledge for veterinarians. Although the situation in Thailand is not as acute as in Pakistan. According to Pakistani zoologists “wildlife is all about management, and wildlife causalities in zoos and parks are mainly due to the incompetence of veterinary doctors”. In contrast, according to the veterinarians “wildlife cannot survive only with management, and they are not allowed to work independently to save wildlife in zoos”. However, what I comprehended is that “both are mistaken”. Why? Zoos are characteristically unnatural environments. Management is prime for wildlife but in captivity (zoos) you cannot provide them with favorable circumstances, we cannot supplant nature and it is insurmountable to provide a perfect environment behind bars in an under-developed country like Pakistan. So this is out of the question that you can manage wildlife without the help of “veterinarians” in a zoo or animal safari. Wild animals are not born to stay in small cages and in close proximity with their predators. For example, the distance between the deer and lion cages are not more than 100 meters in Lahore Zoo Pakistan, so anyone with a slight knowledge of animal behavior can comprehend the psychological effect of a lion’s roar on deer. A lot of zoo animals develop phobic and suicidal self-harming behaviors (zoochosis) that are rarely if ever, observed in the wild. You can easily observe birds picking their own feathers, tigers and lions moving in circles, primates consuming their own feces, and the elephant moving right and left at Lahore Zoo. All of such behaviors are NOT natural. Can we cure it merely by medicines? 'No'. Can we cure it by management? In case of Pakistan, the answer is again 'no' because even providing them with enrichment in a small cage will not change their mental status. So it is obvious that wild animals cannot abstain from injuries and psychological disorders in a captive situation and this is where we need veterinarians but at the same time for management policies, we need ecologists and zoologists, So by making it a war we are not doing any good to the animals. We desperately need to include more courses related to “Wildlife Management ” with the emphases on the basic ecological theories in DVM (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine) course, and at the same time, we should provide zoologists the basic knowledge about wildlife diseases. I observed that internees from veterinary departments are reluctant in the acquisition of behavioral and ecological knowledge at Lahore zoo. They assume that this is not their field, but actually, it is. Without understanding the relationships between animals and environment (which ecologists know better) you cannot prescribe medicines and expect a smooth recovery. Both zoologists, ecologists, and veterinarians need to know that without supporting each other they cannot even think about managing wildlife at zoos. You should be an ecologist, zoologist, and a veterinarian at the same time to understand and cure a captive animal. (This article is based on my experience during volunteership at Lahore zoo, Pakistan in 2010. I am unaware of the current situations.)
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