Free Post: "So You Want to Become a Wildlife Vet, ah?"

Often when I am interested in something, I tend to research and find out everything I can about that topic; in this case, it was wildlife veterinary medicine. While I was researching I came across a website called “Vets Into the Wild” written by a wildlife veterinarian. While reading this website I came across an article that shines a light on the darker side of becoming a wildlife vet. He talks about how his entire life he wanted to work in the wild treating animals, but once he got more into his career he realized it’s not all fun and games.
For example, he mentions that when he finally got a job offer it wasn’t anything like he expected. He went into the rainforest and everyday he worried about catching some life-threatening disease and all of the other dangers from being there. Besides from third-world country diseases, there are also many bugs and they often don’t have up to date technology. 
     However, my favorite point he brought up was that the animals are, in fact, wild. For some reason many people believe that the animals are willingly going to let a vet treat them, but the facts are they aren’t. It is very dangerous going into these places, and most of the times animals have to be hit with sleeping darts before they can treat them. This article really opened and forced me to second think my career path. 
Although I do want to treat exotic animals of some sort, I would have to seriously think about the opportunity I am given and if the risks are worth it. This article made me wonder if captive exotic animals, like in zoos or other places, would be better for me to work with. No matter the situation I end up in, I do believe that treating undomesticated animals is something I really want to do in my life. 

References

N.A. "So… You Want to Become a Wildlife Vet, Ah?" Weblog post. Vets into the Wild. Wordpress.com, 28 June 2010. Web. <http://outdoorvets.com/2010/06/28/so-you-want-to-become-a-wildlife-vet-ah/>.