Interview with Chris McKinney
Written By: Mariana, a Junior Giraffe Club member
Chris McKinney, DVM is the veterinarian for the Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester, NY. Before deciding he wanted to be a veterinarian, Dr. McKinney pursued a degree in zoology with plans to become a zookeeper. After a zoo-keeping internship that involved working with the veterinarian, he learned that he really enjoyed that aspect of caring for animals and started on the pre-veterinary track in addition to zoology.
After veterinary school at the University of Minnesota, Dr. McKinney moved to Binghamton, NY to work at an animal hospital caring for dogs, cats, exotic pets, wild animals, and worked on zoo animals at the Binghamton Zoo. He returned to school at Tuft’s University and obtained a Master’s degree in Conservation Medicine studying White Nose Syndrome in bats. After this, he continued to work with pets and wildlife and assisted at the Buffalo Zoo and Seneca Park Zoo. After 12 years as a veterinarian, he was then lucky enough to be hired as the full-time veterinarian for the Seneca Park Zoo. At the zoo, Dr. McKinney oversees the health of all the animals from the small lizards and rodents to the elephants and giraffes. He also gets to assist the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation with local wildlife conservation projects.
Junior Giraffe Club member Mariana asked Chris some questions about his role in the Seneca Park Zoo, his experiences as a veterinarian, and more:
1. What inspired you to become a zoo veterinarian, and how did you begin your career in this field?
I have always loved animals and visiting zoos. However, up until high school, I was planning to go into paleontology. It was during high school that I decided I wanted to work in a zoo because I realized that I enjoyed the idea of working with the many fascinating living animals over studying the extinct ones. In college, I got a summer zookeeper internship at the Utica Zoo in Utica, NY. Part of this internship involved working with the zoo’s veterinarian. I became very interested in the medical aspect while getting to watch the vet team anesthetize animals and evaluate and treat sick animals. After the internship, I started on a pre-veterinary track along with my degree in zoology. As part of this, I shadowed local veterinarians and continued to build experience. During veterinary school, I took classes in exotic animal, wildlife, and zoo medicine. I participated in two amazing summer courses in wildlife medicine and conservation in South Africa.
My first job after veterinary school was at a veterinary hospital that worked with the Ross Park Zoo in Binghamton, NY. I had great mentorship under the veterinarian that had been working with that zoo for many years. After 2 years there, I returned to school, obtaining a Master of Conservation Medicine degree at Tufts University. I studied White Nose Syndrome in bats during this time. After that, I moved to Buffalo, NY where I worked in a veterinary clinic while also assisting the head veterinarian of Buffalo Zoo on a volunteer basis. Eventually, I moved to Rochester where I worked at a veterinary hospital seeing dogs, cats, and exotic pets. I became the backup veterinarian for the Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester and became the Attending Veterinarian for multiple local organizations with smaller collections of animals for wildlife education programs. When Seneca Park Zoo had an opening for a full-time veterinarian, I applied and was lucky enough to get the job!
2. What are some of the unique challenges you face when treating exotic animals compared to domestic pets?
Treating animals in a zoo presents many challenges compared to domestic pets. Probably the biggest challenge for some of the animals at the zoo is just being able to perform an exam and diagnostics. Many of the animals in the zoo would be dangerous for us to go in with so we can only do a full physical examination with them sedated or under anesthesia. However, every time an animal is sedated or anesthetized there is some risk. So, to minimize how often animals are sedated or anesthetized we do a lot based on visual examinations (looking them over closely) and their behaviors. Many animals are trained to show different body parts or even allow us to draw blood or perform x-rays which helps to evaluate their health. For example, Kipenzi, our giraffe with the jaw tumor will place her head in a position for x-rays with a bucket of grain for reward. She will also present her leg so that we can draw blood samples to monitor her health.
3. Given the complexity of giraffe anesthesia, as seen with Kipenzi, how do you prepare for such high-risk procedures?
Giraffe anesthesia does require a lot of planning and preparation. We coordinated with Dr. Priya Bapodra and other staff from Columbus Zoo. Dr. Priya is a veterinary advisor for the giraffe Species Survival Plan which is a group that helps monitor giraffe health and conservation efforts in zoos and the wild. We made a list of any medications and equipment that might be needed, including things that would be needed if an emergency arose. We made sure we had extra medications in case a bottle was damaged. A written plan was formed and distributed to everyone involved. This divided everyone into teams with specific instructions on what to do once the procedure began. The stall for anesthesia has to be prepared with padding on the walls and additional material on the ground for when she lies down. Emergency medications are all on hand during the procedure in case of any anesthetic complications. The final step for planning was a practice run-through. The day before the procedure, everyone gathered and went through what they would do during the procedure. All the equipment was checked over to ensure it was all in good working order.
During the procedure, we monitor EKG, which shows heart rate and rhythm, respiratory rate, carbon dioxide, and oxygen levels in the lungs and bloodstream. We also monitored lactate levels which can build up in the muscles of giraffes during anesthesia. To help minimize this, the legs have to be moved and massaged during the procedure and the neck is massaged. IV fluids are also administered during the procedure which helps prevent excessive lactate buildup. If lactate builds up too much, it can cause muscle damage and even death.
In addition to being a risk to the animal, giraffe anesthesia poses a risk to the people involved. Kipenzi weighs about 1500 pounds and has very powerful legs and neck. Because of this, everyone has to watch where they are moving to avoid potentially being struck by a hoof or her head if she moved while on the ground. Additional staff were present as well to help if needed.
4. How does your work as a zoo veterinarian contribute to broader conservation efforts, both locally and globally?
As a zoo veterinarian, the main way that I am able to contribute is by coordinating with researchers at Universities and other zoos around the world. We are able to provide data for many different research projects, which contribute to conservation efforts. This is important because in the wild, the animals must be tracked and darted to sedate them in order to collect samples. This can be very stressful for the animals and with some species it can take a very long time to find even one individual. In the zoo, we have ready access to the animals so that we can easily monitor their behaviors and also collect fecal samples. Fecal samples can actually provide a great deal of information on various hormone levels. Most commonly, reproductive hormones are evaluated which can then help to give us information that can be used to study the reproduction of animals in the wild. Many animals in the zoo are trained so that we can collect blood samples as well which we can use to gather information about many aspects of their health.
As a zoo veterinarian, I also assist groups like the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the US Fish and Wildlife Department with conservation efforts. I can provide assistance with handling or capturing wild animals when necessary, collecting blood samples, and assisting with other aspects of conservation projects. Some of the projects I have been able to assist with are the reintroduction of hellbender giant salamanders, monitoring of New York’s bat populations, banding Canada Geese for population monitoring, and health and population monitoring of Eastern Massassauga Rattlesnakes.
5. How do you engage with the public to educate them about the health and conservation of zoo animals, and why is this important?
Public education is also an important part of my job as a zoo veterinarian. During the summer, I give weekly “Vet Talks” during which I discuss aspects of my career or perform an examination of an animal. Our Animal Hospital at the zoo is open to the public so when I am performing procedures, the public is welcome to observe. I always try to inform the public of what procedures we are performing and why. I give talks to local students and children who attend Zoo Camps. I also participate in interviews with local news stations about local conservation issues.
This is all very important because, for conservation efforts to succeed, it requires the whole community. Local conservation efforts depend on the cooperation of people in the area that can be affected by any changes that are made such as placing monitoring cameras or reintroducing animals. The public also donates money to the zoo and conservation organizations. Unfortunately, everything that we do requires money and many large-scale conservation projects need very large quantities of money to maintain their operations and perform research.