Studying Wildlife in the Wild

Students in pre-veterinary medicine, biology, and environmental science put classroom theory to the test in Costa Rican rainforests in a month-long University of Georgia course studying conservation medicine.

Led by Dr. Sonia Hernandez, a Josiah Meigs Distinguished Professor in UGA’s Warnell School of Forestry, the summer program began at a wildlife rehabilitation center, where students learned techniques for handling wildlife and collecting samples before moving to a rainforest site, where they broke into groups and each tackled a research question in the wild. The program concluded with a community-based learning experience to explore social and economic factors that influence environmental issues.

Threaded throughout the program was the One Health framework, which emphasizes the fundamental interconnectedness among human, animal, and environmental health and maintains that a healthy environment is essential for supporting all life.