Story by Britney Nguyen
Broadcast by Chip Sweeney
Claire Bublitz’s favorite memory from veterinary camp when she was in high school is learning how to do physical exams on baby goats.
“I remember being so excited first off because they’re adorable, right?” Bublitz said.
More importantly, she learned about a path she could take as an aspiring veterinarian. Her love for animals could take her beyond the small animal clinic where she works now to working in zoo animal medicine which she is now studying in her first year at the N.C. State College of Veterinary Medicine.
For Bublitz and other budding veterinarians, the N.C. Zoo Society’s summer veterinary camps have given them a hands-on opportunity to learn what a veterinary student would in school.
Last year, the zoo had to cancel the four camps because of the pandemic, but this year, the zoo will offer the camps at a smaller capacity with a virtual element.
Having to cancel last year’s camps
As the pandemic unfolded last year, Minter talked to Jayne Parker, the director of communications and education at the N.C. Zoo Society, and other members of the society to figure out what that meant for the safety of campers who were supposed to start coming in May.
“I said to her, ‘Jane, this is not going to be in our best interest for ourselves or for the campers to continue on with our game plan’,” Minter said.
Minter’s concerns also extended to the safety of the animals. For instance, chimpanzees share 98% of the same DNA as humans and are susceptible to COVID-19.
All four sessions of the junior and senior camps were sold out, but Minter did not feel comfortable bringing 24 campers to the zoo hospital. The camps were cancelled.
Normal times
In a typical year, the zoo holds four different sessions of vet camps — two junior camps and two senior camps. The junior camp is for rising fifth graders to rising seventh graders and is only on Saturdays in May and August.
The junior campers spend the day in the veterinary hospital. One hour may be spent learning to make darts and practicing darting paper animals — a practice used in veterinary medicine to bring animals in for different medical procedures.
That was one of Taylor Locklear’s favorite labs when Locklear was a camper. Locklear is now a large animal clinical sciences intern at the University of Tennessee, and said vet camp was a formative experience for choosing the vet school path.
“I always knew I liked working with exotic animals, but the zoo camp really showed me that being a veterinarian who specializes in this area is an option,” Locklear said. “I definitely think it played a role in helping me know that vet school was the right decision.”
Campers also learn about radiology and ultrasound, and are taught how to do diagnostic monitoring.
“It’s a lot of hands-on experience,” Minter said. “That’s the point. That’s what we want them to do.”
Campers in the senior camp — rising eighth graders to rising college freshmen — arrive at the camp on Friday night and stay until Sunday afternoon. These camps are in June and July.
Veterinary students usually come to work as camp counselors and often do demonstrations at nighttime.
Senior campers are put through a fake surgery lab where they learn how to suture and make incisions, learn about radiology and conduct physical exams for zoo animals. They get to do a training session within the park so they can see keepers work with animals.
Minter said the training session changes depending on what animal the campers get to see and what time of year it is. In the past, campers have seen gorillas participate in blood draw training or echocardiograms — an echo sound of the heart.
Going forward
In November 2020, Minter sat down with Parker and other members of the Zoo Society to figure out what 2021 was going to look like.
Looking at their options, Minter and the others thought they could livestream the camp, but it was harder than they realized. Instead, they would record different sessions of the camp for campers to watch on their own and have a live question and answer session.
In the videos, campers could look at radiographs or some models for the machinery the zoo uses, and then have an hour to ask Minter and other camp counselors questions.
“One of the biggest things that we have noticed throughout their regular vet camp is that their opportunity to ask questions is really where they kind of pique their interest and really get engaged,” Minter said.
Parker said there will be three camps this year with fewer campers.
One of the day camps will be for younger kids to come to the zoo. The other two camps will be one day as well for older students. These camps will last until nighttime. On top of the in-person vet camp experience, there will be the online camp experience.
By being online, Parker said campers would be exposed to more than they normally would, because events such as doing an exam on a polar bear can be filmed for them to see up close.
“We’ll be able to talk to the campers in more detail and it’ll be a much more sophisticated case,” Parker said.
Because the camp is having campers come in-person, Parker said the camp will make sure no one is sick when they arrive. Everyone will wear masks.
The senior camps will be extended into the nighttime hours so parents can come and take a tour of the zoo at night when the wildlife usually runs around.
The camp is also cut in half, and the few campers this year will be put in pods of four or five to stay together throughout the camp.
For future camps beyond the pandemic, Mark MacAllister, conservation officer with the N.C. Zoo Society who also works in K-12 education and outreach said they would like to have the full in-person experiences again, but in planning for this year, they have learned they can work virtually too.
“I think we’re going to be a little bit more comfortable in looking towards ways to offer these camps virtually as well, even if we don’t absolutely have to,” MacAllister said.
