When it comes to caring for creatures great and small, Gwen Myers has seen it all. The chief of animal health at Zoo Miami has logged decades in veterinary medicine, from her residency and long tenure at the Columbus Zoo & Aquarium to fieldwork in Alaska and the transport of animals including gorillas and rhinos to other zoos. Since arriving at Zoo Miami in 2015, she has expanded the veterinary staff, overseen the launch of a sea turtle rescue and science center, and incorporated acupuncture into the zoo’s medical program. With a career spanning elephants to bonneted bats, Myers is at the forefront of animal health and conservation in South Florida.
Aventura: How did you find your way into zoo medicine and to Zoo Miami?
Myers: I knew from a very young age that I wanted to be a veterinarian, and early on I knew that I wanted to be a zoo veterinarian, which turns out to be one of the more competitive professions in veterinary medicine. I live in Palmetto Bay, so I’m very close to the zoo, and I wanted to live in a location that was family-friendly and would be as good of a commute as I could get for South Florida.
What does a typical day look like?
I manage and oversee veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and keepers as well as the conservation and research team. Some days that’s administrative, and then other days I’m in a trench with boots on. For example, this morning we had to mobilize one of the African painted dogs. The pack got into a bit of a fight, and this particular dog was on the losing end, so we wanted to get our hands on her and look at the extent of her injuries, help her with some pain control and antibiotics.
What animal cases are the most complex or long-term?
One of the things we have here is a sea turtle rescue and rehab facility. Those animals can get themselves in trouble with hanging around piers and swallowing fishhooks or getting tangled up in fishing lines or nets. With zoo animals, we have many challenging cases due to the wide scope of form and function, and the lack of extensive scientific work to help us, compared to the volumes of data we have on domestic species.
How has your role evolved in your 10 years at Zoo Miami?
We’ve had some magnificent advances. Some are in medicine, and we have greater equipment. Things like stem cell therapy, PRP [platelet-rich plasma] therapy, cold laser, and, most recently, acupuncture. Bringing in Eastern medicine to complement our Western medicine has greatly improved the welfare of our animals as has the extensive education, talents, and advanced training of the animal health team.
What can everyday folks in and around Miami do to help your work and the animals?
If you’re coming to the zoo, I want for you to appreciate the animals under our care, not just physically here in the zoo, but what they represent out in the world. Look at the orangutans and learn about what’s happening to orangutans in the wild. You might realize, gosh, I shouldn’t buy any candy that contains palm oil because palm oil collection is decimating the habitat for orangutans and leading to their extinction. And that’s just one example.
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