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"Coma," a vet pronounced as soon as he put a stethoscope on the chest of a tiny, little Asiatic Jackal cub. The sickly animal was sent in the afternoon. The vet and keepers were not yet done with measuring the cub's temperature and blood pressure when a pick-up truck stopped right in front of the hospital. A civet was brought down. It was severely injured, with deep wounds on its right, front leg but that didn't stop the civet from thrashing around ferociously. Only after the vet managed to sedate it with an injection when the civet was calm enough to be carried to the bed.
A day at a wildlife hospital can be hectic, exciting and dangerous. Here, at the Khao Khiew Wildlife Hospital, the only full-scale, well-equipped hospital for wild animals in Thailand, a small team of veterinarians, animal keepers and volunteers work tirelessly to restore sick or injured creatures of the wild back to health.
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Challenges are various, starting from how to handle wild animals whose instinct is to fight human contact, which is the best way to sedate a panic animal, what to do when it comes to. Who would think that an elephant can kick backward? Hard. Or that a macaque could be capable enough to grasp a dart used to sedate it and throw back at the shooter?
It is estimated that there are about 1.5 to 30 million species wildlife veterinarians have to work with. The number is staggering. When coupled with the fact that each sickness or injury varies considerably according to the environment and animal behaviour, the work of wildlife veterinarians is daunting. Everyday is a new day, with new illnesses or injuries to deal with.
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Asked any wildlife veterinarians what is the most challenging aspect of their work, however, most would say that it is to ensure the patient's survival in the wild after treatment. "Amputating is not a difficult task. What is much more strenuous is what we have to do to make sure that the animal survives without its leg?" Dr Decha Pitak-Kingthong, a vet with the wildlife hospital said.
Sometimes, when hope is dim that the animal will survive after treatment, the vet has to face the tough choice of having to put it down.
The Khao Khiew Wildlife Hospital was envisioned to be wildlife treatment and health care center. It is designed to accommodate as many as 30 staff. At present, however, only a handful of people are hired to work here under a limited budget.
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