Our Animal
Health Care
Origins

When Fossil Rim Wildlife Center’s current animal clinic was built in the late 1980s, it was designed to offer care for a young facility with animals that could mostly be cared for in their pastures or enclosures. Throughout our history, our animal health staff have provided excellent care, finding creative solutions to utilize our building as well as provide care in the field.

Since then, so much has changed! The number of endangered species in our care has grown. Medical technologies and our understanding of the needs of many wild species have greatly advanced. Our participation in research on behalf of animal health and wildlife conservation has intensified. And we have become a teaching facility where veterinarians, fellows, interns, and students from across the world practice and grow as the next generation of conservationists.

Furthermore, Fossil Rim Wildlife Center plans to build a breeding program for Texas horned lizards, a native threatened species with an annual reintroduction program in place through the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The Animal Health and Conservation Center project would provide additional space for a Texas horned lizard breeding facility.

a campaign for
world-class
animal health care

case for support

The One Health philosophy expresses the concept that humans, animals and the world we live in are inextricably linked. We are committed to the approach of global collaboration between organizations and multiple disciplines to achieve optimal health for people, animals and the environment.

The Animal Health and Conservation Center will serve as a platform to conduct conservation research to aid the animals in our care and in the wild, and the collective, connected health of people, animals and our planet.

Among Fossil Rim Wildlife Center’s contributions to wild animal health care are:

• Top production and survivability of Attwater’s prairie chickens (APCs), an endangered Texas native. Fossil Rim Wildlife Center annually produces hundreds of APC chicks for reintroduction.
• Tested dama gazelle immobilization for helicopter/plane transport and implemented it in the transportation of captive and wild dama gazelle in Africa. Staff were tasked with finding a sedation level for dama gazelle that keeps them calm yet awake while being transported without a crate in a small plane or helicopter.
• Successful assisted rearing and reintegration of a blue wildebeest calf into a managed herd prior to weaning. Wildebeest bond quickly with their mothers and are usually at their side within minutes of birth. This herd-oriented species is challenging to hand raise, and after six weeks of hand rearing, the orphaned calf was integrated into the herd while still approaching staff for bottle-feeding until she was three-months-old.

Over the years our dedicated staff have practiced preventative medicine as well as diagnosed, treated and performed life-saving procedures and managed long- term illnesses – many times using their ingenuity and creative solutions to ensure successful outcomes. The new Animal Health and Conservation Center will provide the necessary tools to facilitate their work and match their expertise.

Our Animal
Health Care

animal health

research

training

Fossil Rim Wildlife Center has a long history of research that contributes to the health and conservation of species in our care. In addition to our own research projects, we partner with other zoological facilities and universities to conduct research on-site or contribute samples and historical data. These studies include:

• Participation in the American Institute of Rhinoceros Science (AIRS) study to produce science-based, feasible management recommendations for monitoring and controlling physical condition, iron overload, and reproductive dysfunction, while improving rhino wellbeing. This program will set a precedent for saving species with science in zoos.
• Inclusion of our black-footed cats (BFCs) in ongoing research to refine artificial insemination techniques for the species. When our facility first added this species to our animal collection in 2014, one of our goals was to support the advancement of artificial insemination. Fossil Rim Wildlife Center is home to approximately 30% of the black-footed cats in AZA’s population. (As of 9/27/22, we had 9 of 31 BFCs.)
• Numerous studies on parasite control, ranging from internal parasites such as strongyles to external parasites such as spinose ear ticks.
• Gut microbiome studies for antelope, black rhinos, maned wolves, red wolves, cheetahs, and Attwater’s prairie chickens.
• Genetic studies for sable antelope, eastern bongo, Arabian oryx, dama gazelle, addax, and Attwater’s prairie chickens.
• Behavioral studies related to use of GPS collars in scimitar-horned oryx, social cohesion in an Arabian oryx herd, ethological coding techniques for addax and sable antelope, habitat use by addax and sable antelope, individual variation in behavioral profiles of addax breeding males, behavioral estrus chart for sable antelope, and a bull suitability survey.
• Development of a body condition scoring system for antelope that has been shared with other facilities.

Our Animal
Health Care

opportunity

Build the Animal Health and Conservation Center

Focus on the following:

• Animal Health Care
• Scientific Research
• Professional Training
• Public Education

animal health and conservation center

key features

Larger exam and treatment room will accommodate more and larger animals and reduce the need to perform procedures in the field.

A sterile surgical suite will have separate from the treatment room. This will reduce the need to transport animals off-site for treatment.

A dedicated research/conference area for staff to have access to several workstations and a meeting space. This will be a significant improvement and further our work in education and research.

A larger laboratory will allow more space to expand our testing capabilities, train interns, and accommodate visiting student groups.

Additional padded recovery rooms for hoofstock and enclosures for carnivores/birds.Padded rooms are needed to safely hold hoofstock animals during recovery so they don’t injure themselves.

Additional storage within the building will also be included so Animal Health staff can keep more items on-site rather than stored in various remote buildings.

Internal windows and/or video screens to allow interns, students, and certain visitors to observe veterinary procedures taking place in the sterile surgery room.

OUR ANIMAL
Health care
vision

Build a $2.5 million dollar complex exceeding 4,700 square feet – 4 times the size of the clinic Fossil Rim Wildlife Center has relied on for more than 30 years.

Be a state-of-the-art health center that will exceed AZA standards for years to come, cementing our reputation as a world-class animal care institution.

Expand upon public education and professional training by allowing more space to host visiting students, such as those at nearby Tarleton State University, for veterinary procedures and lab practicums.

Add far-reaching capabilities to expand our on-site research through larger lab spaces and multiple workstations. We will continue to participate in studies that benefit our collection, populations under human care, and their wild counterparts.

Launch our Texas horned lizard breeding initiative, contributing to the study and reintroduction of this threatened native species.