Department of Clinical Care

©WCS

The Department of Clinical Care is responsible for the daily veterinary care of over 20,000 individuals, of almost 1,400 species, of fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and both terrestrial and aquatic mammals in the five WCS New York City Living Institutions. These include the New York Aquarium in Brooklyn, the Central Park Zoo in Manhattan, the Queens Zoo in Queens, the Prospect Park Zoo in Brooklyn, and the Bronx Zoo. The Wildlife Conservation Society's main medical facility is the Wildlife Health Center on the grounds of the Bronx Zoo. This state-of-the-art 30,000 square foot facility provides advanced medical and surgical modalities including endoscopy, minimally invasive surgery, laser surgery, microsurgery, dentistry, ultrasonography, radiology, and intensive care capabilities. An in-house clinical laboratory, pharmacy, imaging suite, surgical scrub room and sterile prep room, sterile surgical suite, recovery area, and clinical wards provide support for the busy clinical practice.

In addition to this major medical facility, each of the other WCS zoos has a smaller clinic which augments the capabilities for caring for the WCS's animal collections, and the New York Aquarium also has a major medical facility that includes surgery, imaging, clinical laboratory, pharmacy, aquatic animal wards, diet kitchen, library, and offices.

The Department of Clinical Care includes four clinical veterinarians, two clinical veterinary residents in Zoological Medicine and Surgery, four veterinary technicians, two hospital supervisors, and two lay staff. In addition to the expertise of its own staff, consultants in veterinary and human medical and surgical specialties are called upon when needed to provide the best possible care to the animal collections which we hold in trust for future generations.

The mission of the department is to provide the highest quality medical and surgical care to all of the animals in WCS's facilities; to support WCS in-situ global research and conservation efforts; to provide advanced training to veterinarians via a zoobased residency program; to conduct research and clinical studies; to disseminate information to wildlife veterinarians, managers, and biologists via publications; to participate in scientific presentations, symposia and programs; and to provide on site training for veterinary students through student externships.