Tending to a dog with fellow Veterinary Technicians, Molly (left) and
Lori (back, right) |
I
am also a licensed Veterinary Technician. I earned my Associates degree
in Veterinary Science Technology at SUNY Canton, N.Y. under the instruction
of Dr. Edward Gordon. Dr. Gordon was one of the best professors I'd ever
had as an undergraduate! I have worked at both a private practice (small/large
animal hospital), a zoo, and a dairy farm in upstate New York. Being a
vet. tech. was valuable experience and an exciting job.
|
Anesthesia of a zebra at a zoo |
Here I am putting my Vet Tech skills to use restraining an American Alligator
for drawing blood, taking measurements, and performing overall health exams. |
Here I am with a Black bear cub I helped raise at Burnet Park Zoo in
Syracuse, NY. "Sheila" was rescused by the DNR from an individual
that was keeping her illegally (without permit) in his home. Unfortunately
he had her de-clawed and even had her baby teeth filed down. What a travesty!
Fortunately, her adult teeth grew in, but without her front claws she could
never be re-introduced into the wild. She found a good, permanent home at
a zoo. People - even with the best intentions - should NEVER keep wildlife
as pets. They are wild and deserve a chance at being free. Furthermore,
large animals (like this bear became) are unpredictable and potentially
dangerous. |
Bowfin
|
In addition to
just exploring I also love to go fishing. I have probably been fishing
since I was four (thanks Dad!) and have continued to enjoy it. Here
you see my first bowfin (Amia calva) catch (left). Bowfin
are mysterious and fiesty fish. Their origin dates back to the Cretaceous
Period - more than 100,000,000 years ago. They are called bowfin because
of their long dorsal fin. They have been known to exceed 3 feet and
20 lbs! They put up quite a fight and have razor-sharp teeth which requires
careful handling.
The fish on the
right is a redfish (Sciaenops ocellatus), also known as
red drum, channel bass, bull red, or rat reds. I had tried for several
years to catch a redfish and succeeded only last year (2003) fishing
at Cedar Key, Florida. It was 24 inches long and about 5 lbs. Redfish
are saltwater fish and grow to a maximum size of about 90 lbs in the
Atlantic and about 60 lbs in the Gulf of Mexico.
|
Redfish |
|
|
Last
year (2009) I FINALLY caught a blue catfish (right). It was so exciting!
Well, on the sliding scale of catfish size it was not a monster (about 24
lbs) but, nonetheless I was ecstatic! Blue catfish (Ictalurus furcatus)
can get incredibly gargantuan (see pics). They are also called Channel cat,
hump-back blue, or even "whisker kitty" (because of their long
sensory "whiskers" on their face). These big boys can live 15
- 20 years and average 40 - 80 lbs. The current record is 111 lbs!
Mark Twain wrote about these colossal catfish in Mississippi and claimed
to have seen some as large as 185 - 250 lbs. Click HERE
to read more. |
|
The "business"
end of an alligator snapper
|
Another
pastime I enjoyed while living in Florida was working at the St
Augustine Alligator Farm with a good friend of mine Kent
Vliet (right). Kent is an expert on crocodilian biology and behavior.
It was at the St. Augustine park that I first saw an Alligator snapping
turtle (Macroclemys temminckii). They are amazing reptiles!
They are the largest freshwater turtle in North America and can reach
sizes up to 200 lbs! The one I handled in the video (linked in the photo
at the top of this page) was only about 70 lbs and very hard to handle.
I don't recommend handling these animals unless you have some training,
like I did. They are highly aquatic (like many turtles) and inhabit large
freshwater streams or tributaries associated with the Gulf of Mexico.
One of the unique characteristics of the Alligator snapper is the fleshy
pink protuberance in its mouth that mimics a worm. The snapper wiggles
this "lure" while its mouth is open underwater to attract fish
or other prey towards its mouth. When they come close enough .... SNAP!
Dinner is served!
|
Dr. Kent Vliet |
Making friends with
an American alligator
Me and my advisor,
Lou Guillette.
|
Here
I am making friends with an American Alligator (Alligator mississipiensis)
at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm (left). I was helping Dr. Vliet capture
"gators" to draw blood and check their overall health during a
routine examination. The American Alligator is a large, semi-aquatic reptile
that is related to crocodiles but are not as large (only 6-14 ft in length).
They can weigh up to 500 lbs and are common in swamps, rivers, bayous, and
marshes of the southern United States.
On the right I am showing some undergraduate students at the University
of Florida about how contaminants affect the reproductive morphology of
these alligators. Contaminants such as DDT have been found to be estrogenic
- this means that they act like estrogens on the body and can cause development
of female characteristics in males, and suppress development of some male
characteristics. Male alligators exposed to DDT have been shown to have
a decreased penis size (yikes!). Much of this research was pioneered by
my Ph.D. advisor and mentor at UF, Lou Guillette (see lower left).
Alligators, unfortunately, are very poorly understood reptiles. These magnificent
animals were once on the verge of extinction due to overhunting and contaminated
habitats. They have since made a tremendous comeback over the past 30 years
due to strict protection laws. They are undoubtedly dangerous animals and
should always be treated with caution. They normally avoid people but as
human populations expand the alligator's habitat is threatened and conflicts
occur between alligators and people. This problem is made worse when people
feed alligators mistakenly believing they are being nice to the animals
when in fact they serve to reduce its natural fear of people. Feeding them
only encourages them to approach people as "food sources" rather
than to flee from them (a much better behavior).
|
Showing gator "parts"
to some brave undergraduates at UF |
|
Here
are some images of our life on the homestead
|
Me and Greg with our garden harvest. |
A box turtle in a field of blackberries |
One of the orphaned opposums that I raised and released. |
Me with my" possies")! Opposums are generally not tame - they
are wild animals and should be treated with respect and avoidance if possible.
However, these animals were orphaned as babies when their mom was hit
by a car. I raised them so they were friendly and trusting towards me.
Once they were large enough I gradually re-introduced them into the wild,
where they really belong. They hung around my yard for a few months, returning
for snacks I left out for them, but then gradually they become more independent
- as they should be - and moved away on their own. |
A copperhead found near the driveway. |
Here are some of my Rhode Island Red chickens. The male (foreground) vigorously
defends his hens (background). You must watch your back when entering
the chicken yard when he's around. He likes to make sneak attacks if you're
not watching him! Little rascal! |
A Black widow found under a log by our house. Yikes! Black widow spiders
are actually pretty common in the South. You can find them under rotting
logs, in old barns and sheds, or even in the garden! I found one once on
a garden hose. Contrary to what people commonly believe, Black widow spider
bites are rarely fatal. Their venom is highly toxic and can cause intense
pain, inflammation, and tissue damage at the site of a bite. Extreme pain
and nausea are often associated with widow bites but fatalities are rare
unless a young child, elderly or immuno-compromised person is bitten. Still,much
caution should be taken around these arachnids. |
Examining a frame of honeybees, which we keep for both honey and pollination
of our gardens. |
My goats Olive, Jesse,
and Cypress (left to right). Goats are intelligent and affectionate livestock
animals. We keep and breed them for goat milk. They form close bonds with
each other and, if you spend enough time with them, their human caretakers
as well. My hoofed kids follow me everywhere I go around the pasture and
love to sit with me on their basking platform and get scratched. |
This is our main garden. We try and grow most of what we eat on the homestead.
That works great during the spring and summer. The winter - not so much, unless
we've canned or frozen the produce. |
Here is a female Ruby-throated hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) that
got trapped in our garage. She tired herself out, so when we finally caught
her she had to rest on Greg's hand for a few minutes before flying away. Such
a tiny bird - seemingly so fragile - yet they make an amazing journey twice
a year. They arrive in South Carolina from the southern areas of Mexico, Central
America, and on Caribbean islands around March, stay through the warm summer
months, and then depart around August, with males departing slightly earlier
than females. I look forward to seeing them arrive each spring! |
Here is a Canebrake rattlesnake
- a subspecies of the Timber rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus) - crossing
our driveway during the early Fall. Canebrakes are a venomous pitviper that
ranges in size from 3 - 5 feet as adults. The largest we have seen on our
property was a 5 ft female. No - we didn't kill her! They have a right to
be here and many populations of rattlesnake species are on the decline due
to "rattlesnake roundups" out West and the prevalence of rampant
killing of rattlesnakes on sight, even when they aren't posing any immediate
threat. Any canebrakes found close to our house are carefully re-located to
the "back 40 acres", as they say. This female never even rattled.
We kept a respectful distance and, feeling unthreatened, she simply slowly
slithered away into the brush. AWESOME! |
