Well, as I mentioned, the dean wanted to a wildlife person, and I guess I initiated the actual zoo portion of it because I knew that I couldn’t supply the practical experience for students and I wanted a place where that could happen. And so I approached the people having… Read More
Well, I would assume so. I guess it’s an interesting situation. I have a difficulty remembering names, and my mother used to tell me that you don’t remember names because you don’t like people. And I take exception to that because I do like people, I’ve liked people all over… Read More
Did you know Will Rogers?… Read More
No. Okay, I gotta ask that. Read More
Absolutely. Principles, primarily of minimizing stress, knowing how much force to apply, how to use ropes, how to use nets, all of these things were adapted from similar situations in other animals. Well, it’s interesting that we’re talking about different people that you’ve have brought into the field of medicine. Read More
How does it feel to be the called the father of zoological medicine as you’ve been called before?… Read More
Well, thank you. Some people call me the grandfather, but that’s only because I are one. But nothing but pride in being a part of this process. And that is just a part. And I can look at anyone of the people that have gone through my program or I’ve… Read More
Do you think that’s what makes you a good teacher?… Read More
Were there things that surprised you the most, that you didn’t realize about these exotic animals?… Read More
That’s an interesting question. It was essentially new to me, but I had the habitude if you will, or the desire to be concerned about all species of animals, and I was not afraid to try. And so I just jumped in and did what needed to be done. I… Read More
Were you able to transfer restraint that you had learned for horses and cows to exotics?… Read More
And this was before you had developed this class?… Read More
Correct. Read More
Were there important discoveries that you made while doing this class in zoo medicine?… Read More
Well, two ways, we set up a program, a clinic, if you will, in the veterinary school hospital for wild animals, and we took in all kinds of animals, both birds, reptiles, and mammals. And secondly, we had courses that we taught, these were outside the regular classroom hours, so… Read More
You approached them, the students?… Read More
Yeah, but all these things kind of build because over the years, as a horse person, because people found out that I was willing to deal with any kind of an animal that people from the zoo would bring animals to the hospital, or occasionally they would ask us to… Read More
Were there students who took this pioneering class that then went on to work in zoos?… Read More
Well, I can tell it this way, at one early annual meeting of the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians, we asked everybody that has been influenced by the program at Davis to come for a picture. One third of the people that were there had experienced either as a student… Read More
How did you expose your students to the exotic for the zoo medicine?… Read More