Bavaria | Worldwide

"From Vet to Vet"

New Training Program for Veterinarians in Zoos and Rescue Stations in Developing and Threshold Countries
Veterinary Online Training Program in cooperation with WildWelfare

Eye-to-eye interaction in teaching medical fundamentals related to zoo and wild animals: Dr. Julia Gräfin Maltzan and Dr. Sandra Silinski-Mehr had this in mind when they developed their new training program.

Dr. Gräfin Maltzan explains the details:

“The experience we have accumulated on our numerous trips and consultations with zoos has been compiled into a comprehensive program “From Wildlife Vet to Wildlife Vet”, which bears in mind the challenges and realities in zoos and rescue stations in developing countries.

Collection planning, prevention, diagnosis of diseases and zoonosis, species-appropriate nutrition, special equipment for zoo and wild animal medicine, and animal protection-appropriate transportation and immobilization – these are just some of the topics comprehensively dealt with in 18 online modules in personal interaction with veterinarians from other continents.

Regularly scheduled times for the online training sessions are arranged with the respective institution or regional zoo associations to develop a personal relationship with the colleagues. A question-and-answer session follows the lecture on the scheduled topic to provide personal interaction as well as to focus on individual solutions for the respective institution.

This first step will primarily deal with the fundamentals of zoo and wild animal medicine. The next step can include the input of further colleagues and present new studies and publications on specific topics, according to the individual needs of the participating institutions.

This training program should meet the enormous demand from developing countries for advanced training in zoo animal medicine. Such programs are in general extremely popular and sought after. Sustainability and development potential are important aspects for us in the creation of a personal network “From Vet to Vet”.

Developed as online training and thus appropriate during a pandemic, sessions can also be delivered on site by the Academy or by our cooperation partner WildWelfare and can then be supplemented with practical exercises.

We are convinced that this training program format will enable us to reach many colleagues at numerous sites around the world and thus significantly promote and contribute to improved animal husbandry and welfare.”