Wellington - Micah Jensen, veterinary resident
Micah Jensen is a Veterinary Resident in Avian Zoo and Wildlife
health at Wellington Zoo.
Get to know more of the vets featured in Wild
Vets by clicking here.
What animals do you work with?
Wildlife, Exotic pets and Zoo
animals.
Your funniest/most memorable animal story?
Oh dear so many.. I'd have to say being outsmarted by our Houdini
Hihi in front of the wild vets' cameras was not my finest hour.
However I feel better knowing the little Hihi had learnt a few
tricks that got it past even the most seasoned Hihi handlers.
There have been some entertaining mishaps. Baujke and I were
once crop feeding a Kakapo called Tiaho together. When the angle of
the tube and syringe slipped and exploded liquid green goopy food
all over both our faces. Tiaho was sheltered from the blast by our
sodden faces and seemed highly amused by our
pantomime.
What made you want to become a vet?
Growing up in NZ I was always fascinated by all kinds of animals
from tadpoles growing legs to a donkey foaling its all amazing to
watch. At an early age I was given a fair dose of culture shock by
my family moving to Indonesia. The move enabled me to bring home an
even larger variety of injured and neglected animals. The animals I
brought home were usually very sick ones no one wanted, so I needed
to learn what ever medicine I could fast! This experience kept me
motivated to become a vet. From monkeys to owls I generally had my
hands full. It was from these early encounters with street animals
and black markets full of captured wildlife that I began to
understand the vital need for conservation and welfare laws to
protect animals in every society and have endeavored to work in
this area ever since.
Any memorable stories from the vet clinic?
A gecko was sent to the Massey Wildlife Ward for a
suspicious abdominal lump that had been there for years and the
owner was concerned he may have to euthanize her. So we gave her an
ultrasound by letting her ridiculously small 8 gram body cling onto
the ultrasound probe, as we gently wiggled her hips into place with
our fingertips. My hands have never felt so outlandishly oversized.
There was concern at the extent of her gut movement until we moved
her into a better position, that made the whole room of women let
out a delighted gasp and 'cooh', as a second tiny little heart beat
came into view and a curling wiggling tail. Diagnosis of life
threatening abdominal mass: Pregnant.
Another fun day involved helping out for a PhD project that involved catching, weighing, microchipping and removing radio-transmitters from 5 month old NZ Sea Lion puppies. After this ordeal any normal wildlife would shoot through. But these little guys really acted like puppies, the came right back at us and tried to jump in the nets. At first I thought they were defending their territory but as they tried to chew the expensive telemetry gear and even fell asleep in the research gear, I realized it was play behavior. It was so hard not to interact!
What animal would you like to have in your
backyard?
A refuge for all the animals I have met that couldn't quite make it
in the wild but have some enthusiasm for life left yet! I already
have one of Lisa's amputees :
What animal would you most like to see in the
wild?
Any of our released animals so I can check up on them.
Where in the world have you worked and what animals did you
treat there?
I started working in Cairns in a small animal clinic that also
treated exotic pets, shelter animals, wildlife parks, crocodile
farms and Australian wildlife rehabilitation,. I have worked as a
volunteer in Bali Vet clinics, SPCA, Wildlife rehabilitation
centers in Indonesia and several Australasian Zoos.
Which animal do you relate to the most?
Ebony Leaf Monkeys.
What do you love most about your job?
The lovely people and amazing animals. It's a great feeling when
animals leave in a better state than you found them.
What would you change about your job?
More funding for conservation.
If you could make one change to help save endangered
animals what would it be?
If people could see how amazingly unique nature is and
how the world benefits from protecting it, then hopefully we could
all work together to find a way to save it.
Advice for future vets?
You don't have to be vet to help save animals. There are many ways
to help in conservation. Find out what works for you and go for it,
don't let people discourage you.
Tell us an animal joke
Dogs have owners, cats have staff.
