Marine Mammal Response

 

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Seal pup season is in full swing in Puget Sound and World Vets continues to work with network partners to provide response and veterinary support for marine mammal strandings. Earlier this week, we rescued this thin and debilitated harbor seal pup in the Gig Harbor area, working in collaboration with Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.  His location required a boat response and we were able to perform an initial health assessment and administer fluid therapy aboard our vessel.  He was later taken back to our marine mammal urgent care clinic where he was treated and hospitalized overnight.  By morning, his hydration was improved and he was much more alert.  He was transferred to PAWS for rehabilitation with the goal that he will be released back into the wild when he is recovered and old enough to feed on his own.

Moms and pups can be easily disturbed so please remember to give them space and stay back 100 yards.  Keep pets away and on a leash.  If you see a dead, injured or stranded marine mammal, please call and report it to the NOAA West Coast Marine Mammal Stranding Hotline at 1-866-767-6114.  Thank you for observing marine mammals in a safe and responsible way.

World Vets marine mammal work is authorized under a permit with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries and National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)

 

A Successful Summer in Ecuador

World Vets International Veterinary Medicine (IVM) Program is our official student program. It is a multi – disciplinary training and cultural experience that enhances students education and also gives them a broader understanding of international veterinary medicine.

This summer our IVM Program took place in Ecuador. Hundreds of animals benefited for our free veterinary services, which included sterilization surgeries as well as community outreach field clinics that tended to both small animals and livestock.  See pictures

We’d like to thank our outstanding student and veterinary volunteers, local partners as well as our supporters for making this an amazing summer!

If you missed this opportunity, we still have student spots open on our IVM session scheduled in August. Find out more

World Vets takes part in New Horizons Guyana

World Vets currently has a veterinary team in Guyana providing free veterinary care as part of the New Horizons Training Exercise. World Vets is a proud partner of US Southern Command humanitarian aid operations. These missions have our teams work alongside US Army vets and techs, in addition to animal health care professionals and local veterinarians in host nations. We thank our dedicated volunteers for their service as well as New Horizons for this great opportunity to improve animal health and welfare in Guyana!

 

Seal Pup Season has Arrived in Washington

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Seal pup being examined and monitored at the World Vets clinic in Gig Harbor, WA

 

While we have been busy with many marine mammal stranding cases in Washington over the last few months, this little pup is our first harbor seal of the 2019 pupping season. Estimated to be 1-2 weeks old, the seal pup was found stranded on a public beach in Westport Washington.  Network partners Washington State Parks and Westport Aquarium secured the area to make sure he was not disturbed, posted signs and provided monitoring for 48 hours while he was on the beach.  His mom never returned and he was considered abandoned.  Working in collaboration with our network partners Cascadia Research Collective and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, he was brought in late Thursday night to the World Vets clinic in Gig Harbor for triage and stabilization. On arrival he was hypothermic, dehydrated and thin.  Working together with WDFW, we stabilized him and started fluid therapy and he was admitted for overnight hospitalization.  He was later transferred to PAWS for rehabilitation with the ultimate goal that he will be released back into the wild once he is healthy and ready to forage on his own.

As pupping season starts in Washington, it is important to remember to SHARE THE SHORE!  

-All marine mammals are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.  It is against the law to feed or harass them, which includes disrupting important behaviors such as rest, feeding, nursing or breeding.

-Give them space and stay back 100 yards from all marine mammals on shore.

-Keep pets on leash.  Pets can disturb wildlife or may separate mothers from their pups.  These are wild animals that can injure or spread disease to pets and humans.

-If you see a dead, injured or stranded marine mammal call:  866-767-6114

 

World Vets Receives Recognition from Mayor in Ecuador

 

Earlier this week, World Vets along with our longtime partner BAI, was recognized by the Mayor of district Antonio Ante in Ecuador for over a decade of service to the region.  World Vets has been working in this region high in the Andes Mountain for going on eleven years, bringing veterinary services to thousands of animals that would otherwise have no access to care.  Throughout this time, we have partnered with local group Bienstar Animal Imbabura and together have worked tirelessly to improve the lives of the local animals, people and the communities in which they live.  Throughout the world, World Vets has many partnerships like this one working in collaboration with government municipalities and local animal welfare organizations to provide veterinary support to animals in need in underserved areas.

Below are some photos of our ongoing work in Ecuador:

 

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