Last update: Friday 20^th April, 2007

8^th Marine Mammal Medical Workshop

January 30^th - February 2^nd, 2003

Nausicaa - Boulogne-sur-mer - France

The 8^th Marine Mammal Medical Workshop was held from January 30^th through February 2^nd, 2003 and was hosted by Nausicaa in Boulogne-sur-mer, France.

The subject of this year was: "Pinnipeds medicine and husbandry". The two first days - Thursday 30 and Friday 31 January were reserved for veterinarians. We reviewed all aspects of pinniped medicine, prophylaxis, treatments, use of diagnostic tools, surgery etc… On Saturday February 1^st we covered pinnipeds husbandry - starting from the different training steps to achieve the different possible medical behaviours to their application in preventive and curative medicine. On the Sunday February 2nd, we had on-site demonstrations of those medical behaviors. Throughout the day, one-hour hands-on sessions were held on different medically trained behaviors (General body, eyes and teeth check-up/Blood sampling/Squeeze cage desensitization/Ultrasonography - Radiography/General session) and on practical solutions for medical training problems with hands-on possibilities. Participation in the two last days was open for trainers and keepers.

There were six speakers to present this year's subject (note: click on the names to view the outline of the presentations):

• Dr. Frances Gulland and Dr. Marty Haulena, both from the Marine Mammal Rehabilitation Center in Sausalito, California covered the medical problems mainly observed in stranded and in-need-of-rehabilitation animals. Their experience in those animals has been very helfpul in developping better medicine for animals kept under zoological situation.
• Dr. Bert van der Pol, ophtalmologist and consulting for many years in Pieterburen, the Netherlands, gave a specific lecture on eye problems and eye surgery in pinnipeds.
• Dr. Peter Kertesz, UK, dentist with over 17 years of experience with exotic species, covered in his lecture the principles of veterinary dentistry, pinnipeds dental problems and appropriate therapy.
• Dr. Géraldine Lacave,from Belgium, consultant in marine mammals, with a special interest in the voluntary participation of the animals for the day to day routine control but also in more delicate procedures, talked about preventive medicine programs, common conditions and treatment of working pinnipeds under human care and covered the part on medical training.
• Dr. Ian Robbinson, from the Norfolk Wildlife Hospital in the United Kingdom, talked on the progress of the PDV epizootic on the East Coast of England, and the clinical and pathological signs in seals admitted to the RSPCA Norfolk Wildlife Hospital. He also reviewed the trial of a canine distemper vaccine.

Click here to review the whole program.

For more information, contact the workshop manager.   

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