The Wilds Receives Important Accreditation for Veterinary
Residency Program: One of 14 Worldwide
Cumberland, OH (May 7, 2007) – The Wilds, one of the largest
and most innovative wildlife conservation centers in the world,
is now one of only 14 international locations to be accredited
with a postdoctoral residency program by the American College
of Zoological Medicine.
“This is a significant achievement for The Wilds,”
says Dr. Barb Wolfe, director of wildlife and conservation medicine.
“The mission of The Wilds is to advance conservation through
science, education, and personal experience. ACZM accreditation
puts us in a select group of facilities worldwide recognized for
top-notch training in this area of conservation.”
The Wilds’ training program in conservation medicine has
been in place since 1997. The program is designed to further train
veterinarians who have already earned doctoral degrees but are
interested in specializing in this field.
“Just as in human medicine, veterinarians seek additional
certification. The American College of Zoological Medicine, founded
in 1985, has awarded diplomate status to just over 100 zoological
and wildlife veterinarians through a rigorous testing process,”
Wolfe explained. “In order to qualify to take the exam,
interested candidates must meet strict requirements. These include
authorship of at least five pertinent scientific publications
and six years of zoological medicine practice, or completion of
a three year ACZM-accredited residency such as the one at The
Wilds. Veterinarians dedicated to wildlife and zoological medicine
are increasingly vying for these three-year positions.”
As part of the accredited program, veterinarians will learn the
general aspects of zoological medicine such as anesthesia, preventive
medicine, pathology, and surgery with animals in a semi-free ranging
environment. In addition, they will be trained to design and implement
wildlife research programs.
"The Wilds' ACZM residency is currently the only one that
focuses partly on free-ranging wildlife, which is a hot topic
in veterinary medicine due to the effects of climate change, habitat
loss and emerging diseases on wildlife," Wolfe said. “We
are currently working on projects with Eastern hellbenders, freshwater
mussels and American kestrels, among others.”
“Studying the links between human, domestic animal and wildlife
disease and the environment is the very nature of conservation
medicine,” Wolfe explained. “As awareness grows concerning
these global relationships and issues, it is becoming increasingly
important for zoos and other conservation facilities to broaden
our knowledge through research and continuing education.”
"The competition will be strong for this residency, because
of its unique focus on wildlife and research, and its added ACZM
accreditation. We also anticipate more involvement with Ohio State
University's College of Veterinary Medicine and are working toward
a joint residency that may involve OSU, the Columbus Zoo and the
Cleveland Metro Parks Zoo," Wolfe said.
Located on nearly 10,000 acres in southeast Ohio, the Wilds is
home to more than 25 species of non-native wildlife from Africa,
Asia and North America and hundreds of indigenous species.
The Wilds is open to the public on select dates May through October.
To learn more about the Wilds visit www.thewilds.org
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