Disaster - College of Veterinary Medicine - Texas A&M University

was using some their most valuable team members—their
dogs—to assist in the search and rescue effort. The TAMU
VETs were able to respond and test their ability to deploy
with equipment and operate in the field.
“Overall, the drill went exceedingly well,” said Bissett. “We
sent teams out with specific routes to simulate assessment activity
and also conducted a triage exercise. We were also able
to identify holes and rough spots in our process and plans
so that they could be ironed out prior to the beginning of
hurricane season.”
Representatives from the Department of Homeland Security
attended the exercise as guests of TTF-1. Impressed with
what they saw from TAMU VETs, they asked a lot of questions
of the team. There is interest in potentially pursuing
the TAMU VET program as a national model.
Dr. J. Jill Heatley, clinical associate professor at
the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine &
Biomedical Sciences (CVM), has taken a leading
role in the recent efforts to help animals affected
by the oil spill in the Gulf.
While Heatley teaches a Zoo and Exotic Medicine
class at the CVM, she has also spent the past
seven months teaching training classes at the
Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center
(WREC) in Houston. The WREC’s Oiled Wildlife
Response Team is on call 24/7 and is currently
on standby to respond to any and all wildlife
impacted by the oil slick caused by the fire and
sinking of the drilling platform Deepwater
Horizon.
“Even though we do have the occasional veterinary
student take our classes, we are open to
the public, so we mostly teach oil field workers,
public safety officials, public health workers, and
really anyone whose job crosses paths with the
oil spill,” said Heatley.
She explains that all different species of animals
have been affected by this disaster including
birds, fish, sea turtles, mammals, otters, etc.
with the exception of sea otters which are not
found on this part of the coast.
“The animals most visible to the human eye
are birds, so our main focus is teaching recovery
procedures for them. Part of what we teach our
students is how to take care of the animal within
the first critical 24 hours. Also, how to correctly
handle and properly clean affected animals,”
said Heatley.
To work with oil affected animals one must
be certified and trained, therefore a civilian
who comes into contact with such an animal
should contact a wild animal control officer
immediately.
“We think we have a good set up and a great plan,” notes
Bissett. “Moving forward, we intend to pursue additional
funding to better equip our teams to provide all-species,
all-hazard response. We hope that in the future, we will be
able to establish a national center for emergency response
training for veterinarians, and potentially others interested
in emergency response, right here at the CVM.”
With minimizing animal suffering as the primary directive,
the TAMU VETs are able to use their expertise and
equipment to make an impact on human health and the
health of the environment as well by helping a disasterstricken
area move more quickly towards recovery through
effective assessment, triage, and teamwork.
Caring for the animals affected by the
Gulf Oil Spill
CVM Today • Summer 2010 • 23