SEATTLE
- Woodland
Park Zoo (WPZ) and Washington State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine (WSU CVM)
have formed a new alliance, for the betterment of both organizations.
On Friday, officials from the zoo and from the college officially
signed an agreement to form an Animal Health Care Alliance. “Both
institutions are dedicated to excellence in animal care and welfare
and share educational goals,” said Woodland Park Zoo President
and CEO Dr Deborah Jensen. “The work of the Animal Health
Care Alliance will reach beyond our zoo population and the animals
at WSU in Pullman. Our reach will extend throughout Washington
state and will, in fact, be worldwide.”
For years, both institutions have operated independently on opposite
sides of the state. This agreement now joins the two together in
key areas of education and research, both at the zoo and abroad. “We
offer some of the best minds in veterinary science today,” said
Dr. Warwick Bayly, Dean of the WSU College of Veterinary Medicine. “We’re
excited to have our students receive hands-on experience with a
variety of animals, along with assisting in Woodland Park’s
worldwide research in wildlife conservation and rehabilitation.”
Woodland Park Zoo has long been dedicated to helping save animals
and their habitats in Washington state and around the world. This
research includes working with everything from snow leopards to
tree kangaroos. WSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine is a
premier research institution that helps over 15,000 animals a year,
including sick and injured wildlife from across Washington state.
Among those in attendance at the signing ceremony were Jack and
Jan Creighton who share intimate knowledge of both institutions.
Jan Creighton is a former member of the WPZ board, while John W. “Jack” Creighton
is on the WSU Foundation Board of Governors. "The joining
of these two outstanding organizations in a collaborative partnership
will be powerful,” said Jan Creighton.
First on the agenda for the new partnership, WPZ’s Animal
Health professionals teamed up with professors from WSU CVM for
an educational event. They provided over 50 wannabe veterinarians
with firsthand knowledge of what it takes to be a veterinarian,
while offering a detailed look at exciting career options and trends
in veterinary medicine. This informative program was followed by
private, animal health focused zoo tours including visits to the
brown bear, Day and Night Exhibits and African wild dog exhibits.
These students will be the future leaders in changing how humans
impact animal health here in the Puget Sound area and around the
globe.
Accredited
by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, award-winning Woodland
Park Zoo is famed for pioneering naturalistic exhibits and setting
a standard for zoos all over the world. With conservation, education
and excellent animal care at the core of the zoo’s mission,
the zoo is helping to save endangered species in Washington state
and around the world including tree kangaroos, snow leopards, red-crowned
cranes, African wild dogs, western pond turtles and Oregon silverspot
butterflies. By inspiring visitors and others to care and act, Woodland
Park Zoo is making a difference in our planet’s future.
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