Dr. Lamar Hunter has just joined the Carolina Tiger Rescue team as a wildlife veterinarian. After he graduated from NC State’s vet school, Dr. Hunter studied under Dr. Angela Lassiter at Carolina Tiger Rescue. He helps with physicals, medical procedures, and loves seeing the animals improve under the care of the awesome vets at the rescue. Dr. Hunter enjoys working with all the animals at Carolina Tiger Rescue, but his favorite is the lions.
Dr. Hunter’s Blog 8/22/19
Our quarantine building, Karen’s Keep, is getting an upgrade! Staff and volunteers have been working very hard to build outdoor shifts for future quarantined animals!
Each animal that comes to Carolina Tiger Rescue must spend 30 days in quarantine. Simply put, quarantine means isolation. The animals in quarantine are separated from all the other sanctuary residents just in case they are carrying any illnesses that could spread to other animals. The new resident may also be vulnerable if they don’t have up-to-date shots or are weak and unhealthy. These are just a couple of the reasons why we need a vet to check them out. Until the animals in quarantine are cleared medically, they can not be moved out into the sanctuary.
Previously, animals in quarantine had to spend their time indoors with windows that looked out into their new home. With the help of many donors and volunteers, we are building outdoor shifts for quarantine! We will soon be able to let the quarantined animals enjoy the sunshine and get more familiar with the sights and sounds of the sanctuary. These outdoor shifts will also greatly increase the space in quarantine for each animal. Special consideration had to go into planning the outdoor space. The new animal could be sick or be vulnerable to illness and we do not want illness to spread in the sanctuary.
Because we don’t know right away if these animals are sick or could get someone else sick, every part of quarantine must be easy to clean, including any of its outdoor areas. We solved this by creating a concrete floor for the outdoor shifts and drainage that will catch any water coming off of the concrete, whether that be from rain or from scrubbing it clean. This way, if the animal is discovered to have an illness, we can safely clean and rinse the floors. Grass and dirt would be impossible to properly clean. And although these animals would not naturally live on concrete floors, they will not need to be on it long. Soon, they will be released to a more natural enclosure in the sanctuary, one with vegetation and softer ground.
I went to check out the progress today and, as you can see, got roped into helping complete one of the safety cages, but I don’t mind. Construction takes a lot of team work here at the sanctuary! I’m just so happy that we will soon be able to really roll out the welcome mat to any new residents! They deserve the best we can offer!