News Release 

Contacts:
Sondra Katzen, Chicago Zoological Society, 708.688.8351, sondra.katzen@czs.org
Stacina Stagner, Forest Preserves of Cook County, 312.882.7939, stacina.stagner@cookcountyil.gov
 
July 19, 2023
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
 NOTE: Scroll to bottom of press release to download photos.

Chicago Zoological Society, Forest Preserves of Cook County, and University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine Partner in Initiative that Responds to Need for Wildlife Veterinary Care

Nation’s First ACZM Wildlife Health Residency Program Marks First Year with New Findings
on the Health of Local Wildlife Populations
 

Brookfield, Ill.—The Forest Preserves of Cook County is home to the nation’s first wildlife residency program that meets the rigorous standards of the American College of Zoological Medicine (ACZM)—the certifying body for veterinary specialists in zoo and wildlife medicine. Launched one year ago in July 2022, the Illinois Zoological and Wildlife Health Management Residency is a collaboration between the Chicago Zoological Society (CZS), which manages Brookfield Zoo; the Forest Preserves of Cook County; and the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine.
 
The program, which is a three-year residency with advanced training in veterinary science, aims to build critically needed knowledge about the health of wild animal populations in both urban and suburban settings. The wildlife resident provides professional veterinary medical services for Forest Preserves field programs, and conducts and assists with laboratory and field research dedicated to maintaining wildlife and ecosystem health in Cook County.
 
In the year since the program launched, the first resident of the program, Dr. John Winter, along with staff from the three partner institutions, have made several important discoveries related to local wildlife health, including:

  • -  a new virus found in invasive red-eared slider turtles was identified for the first time in native, endangered Blanding’s turtles;

  • -  locally tested coyotes are negative for canine influenza, which means they cannot be the source of cases found in domestic dogs in the Chicagoland area; and

  • -  adenovirus—a disease that can affect the reproductive health—has been discovered for the first time in Illinois wood ducks.


CZS and its partners have trained veterinary residents in the medicine of zoo and aquarium animals for many years, but this is the first time a program is focused on wild animals. As the initiative develops and grows over time, CZS hopes to scale up the program to support additional animals and areas.
 
In total, nearly 20 veterinary mentors across Brookfield Zoo, the Forest Preserves of Cook County, and the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine will engage with Winter—further strengthening the partnership between the institutions as they work to preserve wildlife. The program draws upon the University of Illinois’ wildlife and conservation medicine programs based in Urbana-Champaign.
 
Dr. Matt Allender, a clinical veterinarian at Brookfield Zoo and director of the Wildlife Epidemiology Lab at the University of Illinois, serves as the primary mentor to Winter. His clinical and research skills in the field of wildlife medicine helped to develop this position into a preeminent wildlife health training program in the country. “The Forest Preserves has an extensive track record in monitoring urban and suburban wildlife health and our resident has the opportunity to train with some of the world’s best biologists,” said Allender. “One year in and we’re already uncovering significant information on the health and wellness of local species, and now with that knowledge in hand, conservationists and biologists are better equipped to preserve and improve the environment for animals and humans alike.”
  
Winter has a strong passion for conservation medicine and previously completed a one-year wildlife medicine internship sponsored by Partners for Wildlife at the Progressive Animal Welfare Society Wildlife Center in Lynnwood, Washington, and Washington State University. He received his veterinary degree from the University of Illinois, where he studied Blanding’s and eastern box turtles while also working with a variety of other native species as a student fellow. Winter graduated with a bachelor’s degree in zoology and psychology from the University of Florida.
 
Rotating between the Forest Preserves and Brookfield Zoo, Winter is integrally involved in the wildlife health management of a variety of animal populations, including white-tailed deer, Blanding’s turtles, soft-shelled turtles, North American river otters, snakes, several populations of raptors, coyotes, several species of shore and aquatic birds, and various fish species. Additionally, the resident receives clinical experience with animals at Brookfield Zoo and at the Wildlife Epidemiology Lab at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign.
 
“We have been conducting field research in the preserves with a variety of partners for decades, but the residency program brings the Forest Preserves to another level of monitoring the health of the local animal populations,” said Chris Anchor, senior wildlife biologist with the Forest Preserves of Cook County. “Already in the first year, with clinical health assessments now available, we have several new findings that would have taken years to discern in the past. Because of this partnership and residency, we know more about what is normal and what is extraordinary in terms of the diseases that can be found in the animals that live in this area.”
 
Thanks to broad wildlife conservation efforts, the population numbers of several local species are stable or increasing. However, changes in landscape features and species composition, emerging diseases, and the increasing human population continue to threaten the health and populations of other local wildlife species.
 
Covering nearly 70,000 acres, the Forest Preserves of Cook County is one of the oldest and largest forest preserve districts in the country. Forest Preserves staff lead data collection and research efforts to improve land management practices to maximize biodiversity, with a long history of studying wildlife to understand the transmission of zoonotic diseases to protect public health and the interaction between these diseases, flora, and fauna.
 
“Our new wildlife residency program is underway at a significant time. Fewer than half the states in the U.S. have wildlife veterinarians,” said Dr. Sathya Chinnadurai, senior vice president of animal health and welfare for the Chicago Zoological Society. “Using proven frameworks in training post-graduate veterinarians in wildlife and ecosystem health, this initiative prepares residents to join the field’s growing workforce and contribute to wildlife conservation, supporting population health of our local animals like deer, coyotes, turtles, birds, fish and many more. We hope this program can serve as a model for other states and organizations nationwide to collaborate in support of wildlife health.”
 

 
 
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Photo Captions (credit: CZS-Brookfield Zoo)
4
: Chicago Zoological Society veterinary staff monitoring a muskie that is recovering from anesthesia following radio transmitter implantation surgery.
 
11: Dr. John Winter, second-year resident in the Illinois Zoological and Wildlife Health Management Residency, examines an Egyptian tortoise at Brookfield Zoo’s Animal Hospital along with two veterinary students.
 
21: Dr. John Winter, second-year resident in the Illinois Zoological and Wildlife Health Management Residency, and Chuck Rizzo, wildlife biologist with Forest Preserves of Cook County, taking measurements on a common nighthawk during a health exam.
 
50: Dr. John Winter, second-year resident in the Illinois Zoological and Wildlife Health Management Residency, removing a common snapping turtle from a hoop trap in a Cook County forest preserve.
 
57: Dr. Matt Allender, Chicago Zoological Society clinical veterinarian and director of the University of Illinois Wildlife Epidemiology Laboratory, and Dr. John Winter, second-year resident in the Illinois Zoological and Wildlife Health Management Residency, collecting wood ducks from a swim-in trap prior to performing complete health assessments on the birds.
 
60: Dr. John Winter, second-year resident in the Illinois Zoological and Wildlife Health Management Residency, taking shell measurements on a common snapping turtle as part of the animal’s physical exam.
 
89: Dr. John Winter, second-year resident in the Illinois Zoological and Wildlife Health Management Residency, releasing a snapping turtle in the same location it was found following a health exam.
 
96 and 115: Dr. Matt Allender, Chicago Zoological Society clinical veterinarian and director of the University of Illinois Wildlife Epidemiology Laboratory, and Dr. John Winter, second-year resident in the Illinois Zoological and Wildlife Health Management Residency, performing a health exam on a wood duck.
 
107: Dr. John Winter, second-year resident in the Illinois Zoological and Wildlife Health Management Residency, preparing to surgically implant a fish with a radio transmitter.
 
555: Dr. John Winter, second-year resident in the Illinois Zoological and Wildlife Health Management Residency; Liz Hucker, wildlife biologist with Forest Preserves of Cook County; and Kate Deppe, veterinary student at University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine, checking to see if any snakes are under a cover board as part of a snake survey
 
556: Dr. John Winter, second-year resident in the Illinois Zoological and Wildlife Health Management Residency, and Kate Deppe, veterinary student at University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine, performing a health exam on a common garter snake.
 
557: Dr. John Winter, second-year resident in the Illinois Zoological and Wildlife Health Management Residency, examining a common garter snake for signs of snake fungal disease.
 
564: Dr. John Winter, second-year resident in the Illinois Zoological and Wildlife Health Management Residency; Liz Hucker, wildlife biologist with Forest Preserves of Cook County; and Chuck Rizzo, wildlife biologist with Forest Preserves of Cook County, examining an American kestrel nestling. The health exam included taking heart and respiratory rates, checking the bird’s eyes and beak, examining its feathers to determine approximate age, and taking blood and swab samples for disease testing.
 
8870: Dr. John Winter, second-year resident in the Illinois Zoological and Wildlife Health Management Residency, and Kate Deppe, veterinary student at University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine, performing a physical exam on an American kestrel nestling.

About the Chicago Zoological Society
The mission of the Chicago Zoological Society is to inspire conservation leadership by connecting people to wildlife and nature. The Chicago Zoological Society is a private nonprofit organization that operates Brookfield Zoo on land owned by the Forest Preserves of Cook County. The Society is known throughout the world for its international role in animal population management and wildlife conservation. Its Center for the Science of Animal Care and Welfare is at the forefront of animal care that strives to discover and implement innovative approaches to zoo animal management. Brookfield Zoo is the first zoo in the world to be awarded the Humane Certified™ certification mark for the care and welfare of its animals, meeting American Humane Association’s rigorous certification standards. The Zoo is also accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums, and the International Marine Animal Trainers’ Association. Brookfield Zoo is located at 8400 31st Street in Brookfield, Illinois, between the Stevenson (I-55) and Eisenhower (I-290) expressways and also is accessible via the Tri-State Tollway (I-294), Metra commuter line, and CTA and PACE bus service. For further information, visit CZS.org.
 
About the Forest Preserves of Cook County
The prairies, woodlands, wetlands and savannas of the Forest Preserves are home to native plants and wildlife, including more than a hundred threatened or endangered species. More than 25 sites within the Forest Preserves have been designated as an Illinois Nature Preserve—the highest level of protection for natural lands in the state. Forest Preserves staff work with nonprofit partners and thousands of volunteers to conserve, preserve and restore the land, guided by our Natural and Cultural Resources Master Plan and using effective management techniques. For more information, visit fpdcc.com.
 
About the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine
Part of the flagship campus of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the College of Veterinary Medicine is dedicated to educating future veterinarians and biomedical scientists, making discoveries that improve animal, human, and environmental health, facilitating production of a safe food supply, and delivering outstanding clinical and diagnostic care for animals at a full-service teaching hospital, veterinary diagnostic laboratory, and regional clinics. For more information, please visit vetmed.illinois.edu.

 

MEDIA CONTACT:

Sondra Katzen
Director of Public Relations
Office: 708-688-8351
Cell Phone: 708-903-2071
E-mail: Sondra.Katzen@CZS.org

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