I have the flexibility and experience to help you with a bird project most anywhere in the world. I can be on-site to perform surgery, bringing everything necessary or making the necessary logistical arrangements to get supplies there.
Wildlife research happens where the wildlife is. Working in remote environments and getting stuff there is a challenge that we handle regularly. Dr. Ford has deployed to areas close to home and in remote camps in the high arctic. He’s performed surgery in tents, cabins, garages, kitchen tables, and sometimes even in cushy clinical settings. Whatever the circumstances, he can get there and get the work done safely and reliably.
We typically provide everything needed for surgery and medical care. This includes sedatives for field use at capture, analgesics, anesthesia, and surgical instruments and supplies. If you provide transmitters in advance, we can prepare them for you. PTT preparation includes application of internal attachment mesh, antenna collar, testing, and gas sterilization. We also include pre-printed adhesive labels with each PTT to simplify documentation of deployments in the field. Our primary anesthesia is isoflurane gas in oxygen, considered widely to be the safest mode of general anesthesia for a wide variety of birds. We also provide copies of our protocols, which have been reviewed by various Animal Care and Use Committees and should be compatible with your institutional policies. Whatever you need for ethical, compassionate care of your study subjects, we will do our best to provide.
In typical projects, you will only need to supply the transmitters (if this is an implantation project), a surgery location that affords protection from the weather, a clean surface to work on, clean water, and crates for transporting and recovering the birds. If travel and overnight stays are required, this also needs to be provided or compensated.
Contact me for an estimate but typical prices are $650/day for services in the field, $30/unit for PTT preparation, and $50/surgery for supplies. Travel expenses and any cargo/mailing fees must also be provided. If you’d like to check availability for a project or have further questions, please fill out the form below. In most cases, you’ll get a response within 72 hours– unless Dr. Ford is already away on a remote trip!
Tags: PTT, satellite, trackers, transmitters, veterinarian, veterinary
#PTT #satellite #trackers #transmitters #veterinarian #veterinary
I assisted USGS in tracking mottled ducks in southern Texas.
By John McLelland Avian anatomy focusing primarily upon poultry. Includes histology and some pathology images.
By A. S. King and J. McLelland A long out-of-print, fact-packed book of avian anatomy. It is required reading for those seeking board certification and is highly recommended for anyone in the avian medical field. Used copies can be acquired on eBay but their price has steadily risen and they are harder to find. I […]