One of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium’s top priorities is always animal health, and managing the care of more than 10,000 animals takes a significant amount of resources.
Sometimes our veterinary team needs the help of a specialist to provide the animals with the best care. And that’s when we partner with human doctors.
According to the Columbus Zoo’s Vice President of Animal Health, Dr. Randy Junge, the Zoo’s animal health team communicates with Doctors of Veterinary Medicine (DVMs) and Doctors of Medicine via email approximately once per week for care consultations.
One doctor of medicine our veterinary team works with is Joe Donovan, MD, an anesthesiologist with Midwest Physician Anesthesia Services at OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital.
“I’ve assisted the Columbus Zoo’s veterinary team in procedures involving great apes, tigers, cheetahs and more since 1993,” Dr. Donovan said. “Most recently, I assisted with a silverback gorilla procedure.”
Anesthesia is necessary for almost all procedures at the Columbus Zoo because the animals are not tamed or accustomed to human interactions in the same way domesticated animals are. As an anesthesiologist, Dr. Donovan must be aware of the animal’s health condition—if it’s properly hydrated, if it’s injured (and therefore has more adrenaline), and its weight.
“Just like a human, these are all critical factors when administering anesthesia to an animal for sedation,” Dr. Donovan states. “Once they are anesthetized, I need to continue to monitor blood pressure, blood oxygenation and the EKG throughout the procedure.”
Dr. Donovan has been practicing medicine for more than 31 years in Columbus and has always loved the Columbus Zoo. His professional relationship with the Zoo began when he was approached by a colleague and Columbus Zoo Board President at the time, Nick Baird. They needed assistance with a gorilla OB-GYN procedure, and Dr. Donovan agreed to help.
Since then, Dr. Donovan has routinely helped with gorilla wellness checks in the Spring. He’s also assisted on a gorilla hand surgery, gorilla C-section and tiger root canal. He has even provided anesthetic care for Colo, the first gorilla born in human care!
“I love working with the Columbus Zoo’s Animal Health team for consultations and being a member of the Columbus Zoo’s Animal Health Committee and Board of Directors, there’s a special sense of comradery, “Dr. Donovan says. “It’s always wonderful to work up close with the animals, too”
Dr. Donovan’s relationship with members of OhioHealth’s medical staff has also facilitated collaboration with other specialists when the need arises for our animals.
The Zoo is fortunate to have connections in the Columbus area to help provide assistance with these vital procedures. Veterinary medicine is an expansive field, so having support from specialists like Dr. Donovan is one of the many benefits that are available to our staff to keep the animals in Columbus Zoo’s care healthy.
