History

In 2014, Safari West and the Safari West Wildlife Foundation (Santa Rosa, CA) hosted “The Inaugural AZVT (Association of Zoo Veterinary Technicians) Focus Group: The Art and Science of Hand-Rearing”, a symposium that was attended by 80 zoo professionals from around the globe. With the initial focus on carnivores and hoofstock, twenty international speakers provided their insights into both historical as well as new techniques. Discussions of hand-rearing zoo animals ranged from milk and colostrum composition to the special physiology and behaviors of neonates, and techniques for monitoring success. Post wrap-up and discussions from the meeting created a steering committee comprising of members from the zoo, wildlife rehabilitation, veterinary, and academic communities. The group outlined criteria and developed an international digital working model for data collection, updates, sharing summarization and follow-up.