Monkeys and apes are vulnerable to many of the same diseases that affect humans - such as hepatitis B and C, turberculosis, infections caused by bacteria such as salmonella, parasites, cataract, arthritis, cancer to name but a few.
Given the fact that populations in the wild are ever diminishing and human habitats are ever encroaching on the natural habitat of monkeys and apes, it is very important for non-profit groups operating in the field to receive all the veterinary medical help they can get.
Access to veterinary supplies is crucial to help these organizations prevent epidemics not only among monkeys and apes but also to stop diseases from potentially spreading to neighboring human populations.
However funds are always scarce, this is why the existence of VETS is great news to many non-profit organizations working with non-human primates.
The non-profit Project VETS (Veterinary supplies) was started in 2009 by Dr Candy Sayles to help non-profit organizations worldwide. This organization gathers donations of veterinary equipment and medications. For more information, you can read a report on the American Veterinary Medical Association website.
For information on zoonotic diseases contracted from primates, refer to "Zoonoses acquired from Pet Primates" on the Primate Info Net website.
Below an a BBC video showing veterinary and psychological care for an orphaned gorilla.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment