Veterinary Services Mission
To support crane conservation through the application of specialized veterinary medical and diagnostic services. Our goal is to promote and safeguard the health of captive and wild crane populations and the ecosystems on which they depend.
Department Structure
A Memorandum of Understanding between ICF and the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine (http://www.vetmed.wisc.edu/home) provides structure for the provision of veterinary services to ICF, including agreements on personnel, clinical support and mentoring by UW faculty. The MoU provides access to facilities, advanced diagnostic and therapeutic services, as well as teaching and collaborative research opportunities that are not directly available at ICF.
Department Personnel
ICF staff include a veterinarian and a veterinary technician. We consider the UW-SVM faculty and zoo medicine resident part of the department staff as a benefit of the MoU.
Department Focus
Medical management of captive cranes at ICF: We coordinate a strong preventive medicine and nutrition program, and provide comprehensive medical and surgical services for the ICF flock. We work closely with the Crane Conservation Department to accomplish this goal.
Support of crane conservation: We assist the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership (WCEP) by providing complete health management to the reintroduced cranes and through involvement with several project teams. Research & publication: Recent projects include: research on novel medication strategies; risk factors for muscle disease in cranes captured with alpha-chloralose; infectious bursal disease virus serology within the ICF flock; case reports; presentations and publication on conservation medicine, such as stress hormone monitoring and health management for the WCEP project. Education & training: We offer directed educational opportunities by special arrangement for veterinary students (click here for application information), residents and other national and international colleagues that wish to learn more about the conservation medicine of cranes.
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