University of Wisconsin hosts Oiled Wildlife Clean-up Lab for Veterinary Students and Community Professionals

SAVMA's Education and Professional Development Committee awards grants to student organizations or clubs to design either a lecture and/or wet lab for a topic to which students would not otherwise be exposed. Three $250 dollar grants are offered each year, and winners are hosen by the committee in November. For this and other SAVMA funding opportunites, visit our website.

On April 27th, 2013 the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine sponsored an oiled wildlife cleanup wet lab for the first time in the school’s history. This wet lab experience was organized by students in the Wildlife, Exotic, and Zoo Animal Medicine (WEZAM) club at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine and directed by members of Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research and VMAT (Veterinary Medical Assistance Team) from the AVMA.

Both students and community veterinary professionals took part in a unique wet lab experience where they were exposed to the basics of oiled wildlife clean-up procedures.  Participants were educated in proper handling of oil-contaminated animals, physical examinations with an emphasis on triage, clean-up and bath protocol, and appropriate safety precautions.  Participants gained an understanding of the role they can play as veterinary professionals in responding to oil contamination events and learned that such events can take place outside coastal areas.

WEZAM’s mission is to supplement the traditional veterinary education with subjects in wildlife, exotics, and zoo animal medicine that are otherwise lacking in the curriculum.  In addition to other wet labs such as this, WEZAM sponsors various events, tours, and speakers throughout the year and hosts an annual conference in the field of wildlife, exotics, and zoo animal medicine.  This was the first event held on the topic of oiled wildlife, and the club hopes to hold similar events in the future due to the positive responses after the lab.  We would like to thank Tri-State and VMAT for their help in putting on this great event.  We would also like to thank the US Fish and Wildlife Service for donating the waterfowl carcasses used in this lab.  The lab was made possible by generous funding from the AVMA, the University of Wisconsin SCAVMA and the EPDC Extracurricular Grant awarded by SAVMA.