Emma Ruggles RVN CertVNECC APVN (Wildlife and Zoo Animals) L3CertSAHydro MIRVAP (ICH)

“I’ve been fortunate enough to volunteer in South Africa on 4 separate occasions over the years. This includes two separate trips to ‘Care for Wild Rhino Sanctuary’ and as a veterinary nurse with African Wildlife Vets. I have also volunteered as a wildlife/rehab care assistant/vet nurse with the Cairns Sea turtle rehabilitation centre and Tolga Bat Hospital in Cairns, Tropical Queensland, Australia.

I worked as a volunteer in South Africa for 2 weeks in August 2017 at a centre dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of orphaned rhino calves at Care for Wild Rhino Sanctuary. I returned to South Africa in October 2018 for 2 months and worked as a volunteer for 2 weeks with a Wildlife Vet, Dr Duplessi (African Wildlife Vets), as a veterinary nurse. For 6 weeks, I returned to Care for Wild Rhino Sanctuary and worked in wildlife rehabilitation with the team to care for, hand rear and rehabilitate orphaned rhino calves and other African wildlife including lions, hippos, serval cats, mongoose and antelope.

I travelled New Zealand and Australia in 2019 and spent a month in Cairns in December 2019 working as a wildlife volunteer. For 2 weeks, I worked with the team at the Cairns Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Centre nursing and caring for sick and injured sea turtles being prepared for release back into the wild. I then spent 2 weeks at the Tolga Bat hospital, caring for and rehabilitating sick, injured and orphaned bats of a wide range of species. Most recently, I returned to South Africa in July 2022 for my second 2-week volunteer placement as a veterinary nurse with Dr Duplessi and African Wildlife Vets. This included work as part of a game capture and translocation team ensuring the safety and wellbeing of antelope species, zebra and wildebeest being darted and translocated, darting and assisting in the treatment of buffalo, and working with local communities to help check cattle for foot and mouth disease to reduce spread amongst the population. This is currently prevalent in parts of the country. We also got to spend a day with an anti-poaching team on the ground learning about the work they do for conservation and species preservation utilising the skills of their attack and tracking dogs.

My volunteer work abroad with wildlife has really opened my eyes to the diversity of our role as veterinary nursing professionals and I was able to learn so much about the care and health needs of these animals that we just don’t see here in the UK. Often, I would be required to think on my feet and adapt to situations that occurred. There is never a set plan, especially when the unpredictability of wildlife and the natural world is concerned, and this allowed me to develop new skills in adaptation, quick thinking and utilisation of resources that I can put into practice in my work as a veterinary nurse in small animal practice. In emergency situations, every second counts and the status of your patient and their needs can change in a moment’s notice. Being able to work with wildlife in the field also gives a whole new appreciation for the struggles faced by these species. The poaching crisis is leading to young calves being orphaned and relying on round the clock care of wildlife carers to survive. Sea turtles are facing dangers from pollution and human activity, such as jet boats. The bats are a key stone species of pollinators essential to ensuring a balanced ecosystem but they are being decimated by habitat loss and human encroachment.

As of March 2022, I completed my Level 3 Certificate in Small Animal Hydrotherapy through ‘Blue Bear Animal Rehabilitation Ltd’ and worked as a hydrotherapist alongside my locum work as an RVN for 10months. I gained a whole new perspective and understanding of conditions we see in practice such as osteoarthritis, luxating patella, cranial cruciate ligament disease, degenerative myopathy and intervertebral disc disease and how we can incorporate physical therapies such as hydrotherapy and physiotherapy to manage, treat, rehabilitate and care for these patients. I have a better understanding of the journey these owners are on when they undertake rehabilitation with their pets. This enables me to relate to how they are feeling when we see them for checks in practice, and I can support them with a deeper level of understanding e.g., with the palliative care of patients with degenerative myopathy. As well as this, I learned so much more about canine gait analysis, posture and compensatory issues that may occur with certain conditions. This enables me to take this into consideration when I see patients in practice and then refer them or work alongside the veterinary surgeon when developing management plans e.g., in cases of patients with osteoarthritis.

I hope that this provides a bit more of a detailed insight into my veterinary nursing journey to date. As of May 2023, I will also be spending 3 weeks working as a volunteer with ‘Oceans to Earth Volunteers’ at ‘The Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand’ at their elephant and wildlife sanctuary. I will be helping to care for the permanent animal residents and assisting with the rehabilitation of species native to Thailand that have been rescued from the tourism, farming and logging industries.”