Zoo/Wildlife

The Zoo/Wildlife aspect of the PVPC is aimed at enhancing the knowledge of students interested in pursuing veterinary careers that deal with wild and/or zoo animals. Although the typical DVM curriculum emphasizes domestic animals and the majority of graduates choose to go into private practice, veterinarians have an expanding number of options for working with non-traditional species. These may include being a zoo vet, being employed by federal or state governments as a wildlife vet, doing wildlife rehabilitation, conducting research on wild or zoo animals (diseases, reproduction/husbandry, genetics, etc), or getting involved in the growing field of conservation medicine. The club seeks to promote awareness of these options, as well as provide students with some background, skills, and professional contacts that will help them pursue these types of careers. This is accomplished by inviting speakers from a variety of zoo and wildlife-related fields to give presentations at the school, by taking trips to zoos and wildlife centers to see how these places are run and talk with the people who work there, by providing hands-on experience during wetlabs and working in the wildlife ward, and by maintaining a database of job and internship opportunities.