Last month you saw a photo of Katy with Dr. Vanderford giving one of our lemurs their physical. Katy is our veterinary guru (her official title is Senior Keeper: Veterinary Specialist). Katy actually started at the Museum as a volunteer in the animal department almost four years ago. In the photo above she is doing some training with the red ruffed lemurs when the keepers were trying to get the lemurs used to going on the ground.
Katy spends a great deal of her time making sure all our animals’ veterinary needs are being met. Whenever a veterinarian visits, Katy works with them. She keeps detailed notes from the other Keepers so she can communicate clearly with our vets any concerns animals mights be having. She writes out treatment sheets and makes sure all the keepers know how to give the needed medicines to the animals. She makes sure all needed veterinary supplies are on grounds. She also knows how to use and maintain our microscope, anesthesia machine, and centrifuge.
Having a keeper who can focus on the veterinary portion of work really helps out everyone: the keepers and the animals. Our animals are cared for better because of all of Katy’s attention to detail and expertise in this area.
What a great person! The museum sure is lucky to have her and all the other dedicated pros!