Sea Life Park Hawaii has a large and varied population of animals including dolphins, sea lions, seals, sea turtles, sea birds, penguins, and aquarium species. Our case load is quite variable due to the large number of animals in the collection. In addition to managing clinical cases, we spend a large part of our time focused on implementing our preventative medicine program. This program includes routine monitoring and sample collection, review and implementation of medical and husbandry protocols and environmental monitoring. We work closely with the curatorial and animal care staff to monitor and care for the animals. Externs accompany and assist the vet staff during medical procedures, processing and analysis of samples and other tasks in the vet lab as needed. Once the lab data is completed students are asked to review the results and develop a plan, then we will discuss the case in more detail. Most students have little to no experience with our species; however, general veterinary principles apply. Therefore, the focus is on general topics (such as principles of medicine or pharmacology) with specifics about our species added in a comparative format.
Basic in house library, including the CRC Handbook of Marine Mammal Medicine. Students can attend the weekly 2 hour lecture series which focuses on a variety of topics from dietary considerations, animal husbandry, zoonosis, animal behavior (theory and application). Students participate in one on one In depth case discussions with the veterinarian about current cases as well as select historical cases on a variety of marine species.
Students are expected to participate in all daily activities with the veterinary staff including clinical case management as well as preventative care, pathology, and case rounds.