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I was pleased to receive a copy of Zoo Vet in the mail from Paperback Swap today. It brought the number up to 477 in my library! And I was able to refresh my memory, so now I can tell you more about it. What I mostly liked reading about was the wide variety of wildlife Taylor treated, and the ingenious ways he did so. Many of the animals were dangerous and difficult to handle. Medical practices were not well developed for them yet, so Taylor had to improvise a lot with what was on hand. He performed the first cesarean section on a zebra mare- while suffering a severe allergic reaction to the animal itself!
Other patients included an orca with ulcers, a sick hippo, an overly affectionate gorilla, some orphaned mountain lions, ill dolphins, a rattlesnake that refused to eat, an elephant with an abscessed tooth, a tiger with an injured spine and a giraffe with a damaged hoof. Most interesting were his visits to foreign countries to treat valuable wildlife owned by other zoos and the wealthy. During one visit to China, he was invited to observe an operation performed on a horse. The horse was not put to sleep or given any pain medication- it was treated with acupuncture alone, and lay quietly throughout the surgery. I was a bit incredulous. Taylor himself writes that he could hardly believe it- but he saw it with his own eyes. Fascinating book, highly recommended.
5 Responses
This looks like a great book. I\’ll definitely have to add it to my next book order. I love reading about animals, and just finished My Seven Years in Captivity by Bill Seaton. He was the PR director at the San Diego Zoo and the book is filled with his reminiscences of the people and animals he crossed paths with.
Thanks, Ruth. I just looked up more on that title and it sounds really good. I\’m going to see if I can find a copy to read!
PBS is wonderful, isn\’t it? You find such interesting animal books!
David Taylor is one of my great discoveries for 2008!
I\’m so glad to know another fan of his, Bybee!