Dr. Phillip T. Robinson is a veterinarian with a very impressive resume. He directed the San Diego Zoo’s medical program for ten years before continuing his work at the University Of California, San Diego. He is also a founding member of the American College of Zoological Medicine. He published Life at the Zoo: Behind the Scenes with the Animal Doctors
The book begins with some historical information about the San Diego Zoo. I learned that the zoo was first assembled as a temporary menagerie for the 1915-1916 Panama-California exposition in San Diego’s Balboa Park. The exposition was in celebration of the Panama Canal’s debut. The wolves, bears, leopard, and bison that were displayed were so popular that a movement started to open a zoo in San Diego. Dr. Harry Wegeforth started the Zoo Society Of San Diego. The City Of San Diego agreed to allow the opening of the zoo in 1921.
Zoo veterinarians have to be versatile and cognizant of both handler and public safety. According to the book, elephant handlers had a higher risk of mortality in 1997 than any other profession in the USA with 2 deaths per 660 employees. No USA zoo will house any venomous snake species without having a generous stock of antivenin.
Dr. Robinson says that hippos and giraffes are the hardest animals to effectively restrain and treat for illness or injury. He also discussed the use (and often failure) of phencyclidine hydrochloride (PCP), ketamine, chloroform, various dart guns, curare, succinyl choline, cyclohexamides, xylazine, and etorphine in zoos throughout history.
I also read that there were no commercial zoo diets until the 1960s and many zoos had to accept donated horses and rodents in order to feed their carnivorous animals. Elephants have always been a challenge for zoos in terms of feeding and dietary needs. A single elephant can eat 100 pounds of hay and 25 pounds of fruits & vegetables in one day. Elephants grow six sets of teeth in their lifetimes, and in the wild they start to go toothless at 65 years old.
Dr. Robinson said that in his personal experience hippos, rhinos, camels, and crocodiles are rarely ill in captivity. In contrast, South American bush dogs, koalas, platypus, and North American moose are the most difficult to keep healthy and happy.
Dr. Robinson emphasizes responsibility and practicality in his book. He discusses why zoos must prevent inbreeding and hybridization without being preachy. He also wrote that most U.S. zoos have mandatory necropsy rules in the event that an animal dies in captivity to protect both the public and the other animals.
Dr. Robinson also shared the success of several USA zoos in achieving conservation goals. The Bronx Zoo’s breeding program saved the American Bison from extinction. Both the Phoenix Zoo and San Diego’s Wild Animal Park saved the Arabian Oryx. San Diego and the Los Angeles Zoo also saved the California Condor.
The most useful information I obtained was about tortoises. Dr. Robinson shared that tortoises should never receive injections in their hind legs. A tortoise’s hind leg veins will drain concentrated drugs right in to the kidneys and that will cause severe tissue damage and death.
This book was a fascinating read for me because I am a native Californian and I love animals! My writing/reviewing skills are a little rusty, so if you read this entire entry and understood it…thanks for your patience!
