Op-Ed

Submitted by Elianna Brookhouse, The Ohio State University

The Rhino Horn Trade Ban isn’t What you Think it is

This summer, I had the privilege to travel to South Africa with other international veterinary students. We traveled across South Africa and worked with the big five alongside multiple veterinarians. The most shocking piece of information I learned was about the rhino horn trade, and how it is not beneficial to conservation efforts. In speaking with multiple doctors about this issue, I found that they all carry similar opinions about this topic. Admittedly, there is no one size fits all solution to the threat of rhino extinction. However, this ban is not working. If you aren’t already familiar with rhino horn poaching, let me tell you a little about it. There is an incredibly high horn demand for medicinal use, jewelry, and status gifts. Since the trade of this product is illegal, this demand is met through poaching rhino horn. This is done by slicing off the most horn possible, typically resulting in removal of a portion of the rhino's nasal bone. The poacher then leaves the rhino to die, and sells their horn for profit. As future veterinarians this makes us heartbroken enough, so I hate to be the one to tell you that rhinos are not the only ones losing their lives in this fight. Sometimes, poachers are able to locate park rangers that are devoted to protecting these animals. Poachers may show up at the rangers' homes and threaten them, “tell me where your rhino is or I will come back and kill your family”. And unfortunately, it is not an empty promise. Before the implementation of this ban, there were over 100,000 black rhinos, today we are down to about 6,000. Another sad reality of this massacre is that when a poacher kills a cow, half of the time they are taking 2 lives. If the cow isn’t pregnant, then there is a small calf nearby that was once reliant on her for survival. Dr. Peter Rogers, the owner of ProVet Wildlife services said, “The worst thing you could do to me is give me a rhino and tell me to take care of it”. As you can imagine, it is not cheap to keep these animals alive, and it's even more costly to protect them. As a result of this, private rhino owners are ceasing to own them, and this has decreased the land available for rhinos by 430,000 hectares (106,2553 acres). Now, think of a legal trade. The horns of rhinos are already being trimmed back in an effort to prevent poaching, and a stockpile of horns is being collected without use. This product should be sold for profit instead of tucked away and never properly utilized. One adult rhino will produce approximately five to eight horn sets in their lifetime. This is a sustainable resource, that if harvested correctly, will pose no threat to the survival and livelihood of these animals. Not only would rhino custodians and owners benefit from the proceeds, but so would the South African economy. The profits of this trade would now be fed back into conservation efforts, allowing investment in breeding programs for repopulation and continued protection of the rhinos. This would also contribute tax to the South African Revenue service, create employment opportunities and promote growth of the country's economy. To put all of this simply; we need to make these animals worth more alive than dead, and right now, it's the opposite. When asked if opening the trade has the potential to further drive demand, and make the issue worse, Dr. Peter Rogers considered it and responded, “There is a possibility things could get worse if we change it, but there is a guarantee that things will get worse if we don't change it. And if it does worsen, then we could close it again. But what we are doing now isn’t working.”. As veterinarians, we will take an oath and commit to use our knowledge and skill in an effort to benefit society, protect animal health/welfare, and conserve animal resources. That starts with our knowledge of issues like this. Something here has to change, before it's too late, and we lose this species for good.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Submitted by Mallory Swanson, University of Tennessee

STUDENT EXPERIENCE: PERU

Submitted by Alex Marsh, Virginia-Maryland CVM

When I started undergrad, I knew I wanted to be a veterinarian. However, I quickly learned that I was extremely interested in research as well. Summer 2018, I attended a study abroad to Peru. During the trip I conducted a three-day mini research project in the Amazon on reptiles and amphibians. This small project created an opportunity for  spending 72 days during summer 2019 conducting research on the same project. I went twice more as an undergraduate, continuing the study and helping new students with their own projects like camera trap and fish biodiversity studies. After starting vet school in fall 2022, I thought my Peru research expeditions were over. However, an unexpected conversation with Virginia Tech’s parasitologist, Dr. Roger Ramirez-Barrios changed my mind. He told me that he wanted to send me to Peru again, but this time investigating ticks, mites, and hematoparasites in snakes. 

Dr. Ramirez-Barrios sent me and another veterinary student to conduct research during the summer of 2023.  This project will impact how we understand snakes as parasite reservoirs of domestic animals and humas in the Peruvian Amazon. The topic of parasitology and the skills needed to perform blood draws on snakes make veterinary students like myself perfectly suited for this research. As more people continue to expand into the rainforest our research will become vital in understanding wildlife-domestic animal parasite interactions as well as learning novel information about snake and parasite interactions.

My combined experiences during undergraduate and veterinary school made me realize the potential for research as a veterinarian. I always thought that the research I was interested in and the veterinary career I dreamed of pursuing would be separate parts of my life, but I now know they can coexist together. Having this newfound knowledge about combining research and veterinary medicine, I think my already unique path to becoming a veterinarian has changed. I am currently planning more trips back to the Amazon to conduct follow up research for the project and I cannot see a future where I am not involved in the current study we are doing. I plan on expanding this project to include other facets of wildlife parasitology and eventually will include domestic animal parasites from animals in pastures adjacent to our research stations.

TRIVIA RESULTS

Congratulations to John Winston Weigand from Washington State University for submitting the first correct answer!

Trivia: Almost all mammals have 7 cervical vertebrae except 3. Name any of the 3 that have more or less than 7 cervical vertebrae.

Answer: Manatee, two-toed sloth, three-toed sloth

Source: Encyclopædia Britannica

STUDENT EXPERIENCE: THAILAND

Submitted by Holly Schwarzman, Ross University

Thailand Elephant Medicine Externship - A Ton to Think About!

"Over the past spring break, I was provided the opportunity to take a trip to Chiang Mai, Thailand to study elephants. This experience was planned with ZEW (Zoo, Exotics, and Wildlife) club at Ross University through Loop Aboard's externship program. This experience allowed 9 students to delve into the fascinating realm of elephant medicine. 

While on the trip we visited two sanctuaries- one was a protected contact and the other being free contact with the elephants. This gave us the opportunity to see how two different types of sanctuaries were run and how the elephants displayed different behaviors with diverse environments. 

BEES (Burm &Emily Elephant Sanctuary) was the first one we visited. This sanctuary is run in completely closed contact with the elephant. This means that tourists are to observe elephant behavior from a far and no touching of the elephants is permitted by anyone other than the veterinary team or elephant handler. We were able to do elephant hikes into the forest to see them display natural behaviors and how they interacted in a social manner. Additionally, we completed an enrichment project that provided the elephants a means of cognitive entertainment and mental stimulation. 

Ran-tong- Save and Rescue Elephant Centre was the second sanctuary we visited. This one was run much different than BEES. Ran-tong allowed for free contact with the elephants as long as the handler was nearby. Tourists were able to touch and feed the elephants and the elephants were given specific instructions by their handler on how to behave. This was a much different scenario as the free contact can be increasingly more dangerous if the elephant decides to disobey the handler. They did not allow riding of the elephants and the elephants were allowed to not participate in activities if they did not choose.

While at the sanctuary, the program allowed us as vet students to get a more in depth look at the aspects that go into elephant medicine. We were given multiple lecture series over various aspects of elephant care. Topics ranging from, husbandry, behavior, diet, physiology, anatomy, preventative care, surgery and anesthesia were some of the subjects covered. On top of the courses, we were able to do hands activities as well. We were able to do foot care, training sessions, fecal collection, blood smear analysis, intramuscular vitamin injections and I was even able to collect blood from the auricular vein!

During the two-week program, we were instructed to create a public service announcement promoting conservation and education on the issues that elephants face. With both African and Asian elephants being listed as endangered, it's important to bring awareness to this issue by sharing the knowledge we have as veterinarians with others. I was able to create an educational pamphlet on the reasons why elephant numbers are declining and what we can do to help. 

One of the major causes in the decline of the elephant populations has to do with humans- animal conflict leading to poaching, habitat loss, and illegal trading of elephant parts. This is a challenge in most areas of the world as the human population increases and encroaches on other animal’s habitats. Some ways to alleviate this conflict is to make stricter regulations on poaching and try to draw attention to the fact that we can live in harmony with the elephants. 

Creating sustainable places for tourists to visit and see/ learn about the dangers these magnificent creatures face helps to encourage more people to care about the status of elephants. Sanctuaries like the two we visited work diligently to bring this notion to light. Additionally, elephants are a keystone means and they are an essential part of the ecosystem. As their numbers dwindle it will leave a lasting impact on the human population, and the biodiversity of other species as well. 

While I learned a vast amount of information and greatly enjoyed the program overall, it really brought light to the issues many wild species are currently facing. This externship has motivated me to continue to pursue a career in the field of conservation medicine as I move through my DVM course. Hopefully one day I will be able to accomplish my goal of bringing awareness to the despite need to protect this wonderful species."