In Washington State, around the year 2008, reports of limping wild elk started to rise dramatically. These elk had hooves that were completely abnormal looking. Some of the deformities looked so bad that it was hard to tell it was even a hoof. The elk looked like they had a claw or a slipper on their feet instead of a hoof. And to complicate things, at the time wildlife managers still didn’t know exactly what caused this horrible elk hoof disease, or if it could spread from one infected elk to another. In today’s episode, we get to hear all the details about how our guest Dr. Margaret Wild and ..read more

Catch up with Michelle & Vin as they discuss ongoing wildlife health news and issues, developments with the podcast, and then get into some new segments including: Who's Back in Wildlife Disease, Challenging Terms in Wildlife Health (i.e. Words Vin Mispronounces), Parasites are Cool Too, and This Week in Wildlife Health.    Link to Frog Story:  https://www.arguk.org/get-involved/news/look-out-for-leech-predation-on-amphibians-by-a-new-alien-species-placobdella-costata   Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus: https://wildlifehealth.org/rabbit-hemorrhagic-disease-virus/ Epizoo ..read more

The Conclusion to Episode #8!   Dr. Mark Johnson has worked with some of the most iconic species of North America, including grizzly bears, mountain lions, and wolves. Dr. Mark was the first wildlife veterinarian for the National Park Service, serving as Yellowstone National Park’s veterinarian for several years. During this time, he was the project veterinarian for the Yellowstone Wolf Reintroduction Project from 1995-1996. In this episode, he shares some of the craziest stories from his work with wildlife, and explains his unique approach to wildlife capture for research that emphasizes ..read more

Wildlife veterinarian Michelle and wildlife biologist Vincent discuss the recent news about a SARS-CoV-2 positive wild mink in Utah- the first confirmed case of the COVID-19 virus in a wild animal. They breakdown what’s been happening at mink farms in Europe and the U.S. where COVID-19 has been spreading between captive mink and humans, and how that led to the current zombie mink fiasco in Denmark. How does this all relate back to wildlife conservation, especially for endangered black-footed ferrets which are a close relative of mink?   *****   Connect with Us!   Website | https ..read more

Andrea Bogomolni, PhD is an interdisciplinary community scientist who has dedicated her career to ocean health. She works to understand and mitigate human impacts on marine species, facilitate effective collaborations, and raise awareness of ocean health and the connection to human health. In this episode, we talk about seals and seal health, and what these fin-footed friends can tell us about our own health and the state of the environment we all share. We also hear some of the challenges she’s faced in her career working with marine mammals. And also…exploding whale carcasses.    ..read more

Wildlife Veterinarian Dr. Rob Adamski shares his stories and experiences from the world of wildlife rehabilitation. For example, what happens if a wild animal accidentally eats something highly toxic like lead or rat poison? What’s the difference between a wildlife rescue and a kidnapping? And how can wildlife rehabilitation centers contribute to wildlife health and conservation on a population level- in addition to treating animals on an individual basis? ***   Episode Notes   To learn more about wildlife rehabilitation and how to get involved, visit the National Wildlife Rehabilita ..read more

Ellen Martinsen, PhD is a leading researcher of malaria parasites in wildlife. These are microscopic parasites that live in the blood, and while tiny in size they can cause big problems. These parasites are found in wildlife on almost every continent, and maybe even in your own backyard. In this episode, Ellen breaks it down for us and shares some of her most surprising research findings. I also catch up with her graduate student Alyssa Neuhaus who tells us what it’s like working with Ellen, and explains what human cadavers have to do with it all.   ***   Episode Notes:   Univer ..read more

Our first guest is my long-time mentor and friend, Dr. Mark Pokras. Mark is a wildlife veterinarian with 5 decades of experience working on everything from pathology, ecotoxicology, clinical wildlife medicine, zoo medicine, research, teaching, and too many other things to list. In this episode, Mark describes his incredible path to becoming the wildlife vet that he is today, and his role in developing the field of Conservation Medicine.   ***   Conservation Medicine Programs Around the World:   Tufts University:  https://vet.tufts.edu/center-for-conservation-medicine/   ..read more

Hosts Michelle (wildlife veterinarian) and Vincent (wildlife biologist) introduce themselves, and explain why they decided to launch this podcast, and why now.  What makes wildlife "healthy," and why is wildlife health especially important today during the COVID-19 pandemic?   *** Connect with Us!   Website | https://wildlifehealth.org/podcast/   Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/wildlife_health_connections/   Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/WildlifeHealthConnections     ..read more

Welcome to the Wildlife Health Connections Podcast- We're so glad you found us!   *** Connect with Us!   Website | https://wildlifehealth.org/podcast/   Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/wildlife_health_connections/   Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/WildlifeHealthConnections ..read more