Position: Veterinarian

Reports to: Clinical Department Head, Zoological Health Program

 

 

The Veterinarian plays a pivotal role in providing high quality medical and surgical care to the animals in WCS Zoos and Aquarium. Based at the Bronx Zoo’s Wildlife Health Center (WHC), this position joins the Clinical Department, a complex multi-veterinarian and multi-technician health care team. The team provides daily medical care for over 9,000 animals at the 4 WCS Zoos in NYC (Bronx Zoo, Central Park Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo, and Queens Zoo) and supportive care to animals at the NY Aquarium as needed. It also provides veterinary assistance to free-ranging wildlife as indicated by supervisors.

 

The Clinical Department of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is seeking a highly motivated clinical veterinarian with strong medical, surgical, and  communication skills to join our team. The Clinical Department consists of 4 board-certified veterinarians, 3 veterinary residents (ACZM-compliant program), and 4 veterinary technicians. This position represents an expansion of the team, enabling us to improve the level of care we provide to all of WCS’s living collection. The Clinical Department is responsible for working closely with the animal care departments to provide excellent medical, surgical, and preventive care for over 9,000 animals at WCS’s 4 zoos consisting of our flagship headquarters at the Bronx Zoo and three City Zoos (Central Park Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo, and Queens Zoo). The caseload is highly varied and busy, with over 2,300 active cases on average per year. The successful candidate will have experience working with all taxa as our clinical veterinarians work with animal care supervisors in all departments at the Bronx Zoo and with the City Zoos on a rotational basis.

In addition to the Clinical Department, the WCS Zoological Health program includes a Pathology Department, an Aquatic Health team based at New York Aquarium, 3 veterinary technicians based at the City Zoos, and additional administrative and hospital support staff. The main WCS medical facility is the Wildlife Health Center at the Bronx Zoo, a 30,000 square feet hospital and research building. This resource consists of treatment, sterile surgery, pharmacy, laboratory (clinical, molecular, and histopathology), and animal hospitalization areas. State of the art equipment allows for advanced procedures including microsurgery, laparoscopy, endoscopy, and ultrasonography. A separate 6,600 square foot Quarantine Facility is adjacent to the Wildlife Health Center. Each of the City Zoos and New York Aquarium have facilities for clinical and surgical procedures; a laboratory; pharmacy; and animal holding areas. 

The veterinary care program consists of both an ambulatory and hospital-based practice.  Daily rounds of new and ongoing medical cases at the Bronx Zoo are performed jointly by veterinarians and animal department supervisors. Once-to-twice weekly rounds are made to each of the City Zoos, with additional visits for emergencies and scheduled procedures as needed. There is frequent interaction with local veterinary specialists and MD consultants as needed. Complete postmortem evaluations of all specimens from all institutions, including histopathology and ancillary testing, are performed on site at the WHC by board-certified veterinary pathologists, informing our clinical practice and preventive medicine strategies.