From left, Adina Bronshtein, Chantal Lesmeister and Paola Calderon, University of Arizona College of Veterinary Medicine doctoral students and interns, check for an identifying mark on an educational ferret.

 Rebecca Sasnett photos, Arizona Daily Star

On a recent Wednesday, University of Arizona student Chantal Lesmeister shoveled rhinoceros poop, helped conduct a behavioral study on Chilean flamingos, learned about giraffe nutrition, evaluated bloodwork on an elephant and performed a physical exam on a ferret.

And that was all before noon.

Lesmeister is one of three UA veterinary students who will spend a month learning and getting hands-on experience working with exotic animals, thanks to a one-of-a-kind internship at the Reid Park Zoo.

While many zoos offer internships for students after they’ve graduated, Reid Park Zoo officials aren’t aware of any other program that offers this type of experience for doctoral students. And with zoo medicine being highly competitive, early exposure improves a student’s chance of entering the field.

A new internship program at the Reid Park Zoo gives University of Arizona veterinary students a monthlong opportunity to train under the zoo's head veterinarian. Video by Caitlin Schmidt / Arizona Daily Star.

The UA’s College of Veterinary Medicine Oro Valley campus opened in 2020, is one of only 33 veterinary schools in the U.S. The inaugural class of students began its final year in August, with 107 students slated to graduate in 2023.

During the third and final year of the program, students participate in eight four-week elective rotations gaining on-site, practical experience in a variety of settings and with a range of species. In addition to the zoo, students can spend time learning in veterinary practices, with state and federal wildlife agencies and more.

With this year being the first year of the school’s third-year curriculum, the zoo internship program is still in its early stages, with the first cycle of students coming through in August. Two to three students rotate through at a time, with the small group size giving each intern ample opportunities to practice skills and work closely with zoo veterinarians and animal behavior specialist.

Adina Bronshtein, U of A College of Veterinary Medicine doctoral student and intern, looks at blood samples from one of the zoo’s elephants during the third day of the U of A Veterinary Medicine internship with the Reid Park Zoo. Interns will start their day working with Chief Veterinarian Dr. Alexis Roth as they go over a variety of lab work such as checking blood samples or test results.

Reid Park Zoo, which is accredited through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, has an on-site teaching hospital, tucked away behind-the-scenes. The zoo can do in-house lab work and can perform full surgical procedures and other diagnostic testing.

β€œWe’re set up to do pretty much anything and everything,” said Dr. Alexis Roth, the zoo’s head veterinarian.

During their rotation, students shadow Roth as she oversees care for the hundreds of animals housed at the zoo. Zoo medicine is a competitive field and the earlier students can get hands-on field experience, the better their chances are of securing a job, Roth said.

β€œIt’s an experience you won’t get anywhere else in veterinary medicine,” she said. "Them getting to rotate through and see what I do on a daily basis really helps them decide if this is something they can do realistically. Zoo animal medicine is very different than dog and cat.”

They also get to learn from zookeepers, animal wellness specialists and more about behavior and the training required to perform basic medical tasks on large animals. Reid Park Zoo uses a positive reinforcement model and trains their large and powerful animals to associate exams, blood draws and other routine veterinary tasks with a reward. This means, Roth said, that no animal is subjected to any procedure– barring emergencies– unless it wants to be there.

Stephanie Norton, animal wellness specialist, talks to interns and doctoral students from the U of A College of Veterinary Medicine about a behavioral program to track animal behavior during the third day of the Veterinary Medicine internship with the Reid Park Zoo.

During a typical rotation, students will review ongoing cases with Roth and discuss lab work, medications, nutrition, toxicology and more. They’ll also learn how to perform physical exams on animals and observe some of Roth’s other duties.

β€œIf I happen to be doing a procedure that day, they’ll shadow me through that procedure,” she said.

Roth has been head veterinarian at the zoo for almost 16 years. Several years ago she developed a rotating intern and extern program, with graduated veterinary students shadowing Roth year-round, often times in preparation for a residency in zoo medicine.

β€œI really love sharing what I do with these folks,” she said. β€œThe UA reached out to us, I think, because they recognize that and saw what a unique experience it is.”

Chief Veterinarian Dr. Alexis Roth, left, explains an animal’s medical history to doctoral student and intern Adina Bronshtein at the Veterinary Medicine internship with the Reid Park Zoo.

Three days in, UA vet student Adina Bronshtein was already excited about all they’d be learning.

β€œI’ve always been interested in zoo medicine, but it’s a really hard field to get into,” Bronshtein said.

In the first three days, the three students had already assisted with physical exams on the zoo’s squirrel monkeys, including x-rays, ultrasounds, blood draws, vaccinations and administering nasal COVID-19 tests. They also learned about behavioral training with the zoo’s herd of elephants. Intern Lesmeister said being so close and personal with the majestic animals made her a little teary-eyed.

Intern Paola Calderon wants to work with birds post-graduation. She already spent a previous rotation in Walnut Creek, California, interning at a wildlife center, but the rare experience of spending time working with flamingos and other exotic birds is not lost on her.

Zoo officials call the new program a natural extension their longstanding partnership with the UA.

β€œA lot of zoos will host students, and although a lot of colleges have relationships with local zoos, I’m not aware of one that has as much involvement,” said UA College of Veterinary Medicine Dean Julie Funk. β€œFor students to have this opportunity right in their backyard is incredible.”

Paola Calderon, U of A College of Veterinary Medicine doctoral student and intern, documents flamingo behavior during the third day of the Veterinary Medicine internship with the Reid Park Zoo.

With more than 100 students participating in clinical rotations across the state this year, Funk said now is a great time to recruit β€œexceptional talent” into Arizona clinics, shelters and other veterinary practices.

Interest in the program has grown in the college’s three years. There were 550 applicants for the inaugural class, but the school received more than 2,000 applications for the class that will begin next fall.

β€œWe’re a new college, but we’re also incredibly innovative in how we approach veterinary medicine,” Funk said. β€œI’m so excited and so grateful for our partnerships with Arizona businesses and the Reid Park Zoo for providing these great opportunities for our students.”

Even in students don’t want to pursue a career in zoo medicine, the skills they’ll learn during the rotation will be useful no matter where they practice, Funk said.

β€œAnd if you’re interested in a zoo or wildlife career, the opportunity to have close engagement with all of those species is invaluable,” she said.

Roth said the interns that have rotated through have been surprised to learn how much it takes to care for the various species, since most of them haven’t spent time around zoo animals.

β€œAn essential thing they learn here is where to find the information they need that is valuable to be able to make the clinical decisions that they need to make,” she said. β€œThere’s all sorts of information out there, but you’ve got to be able to access it and that’s hard with some of these zoo animals.”

With some animals, there may only be one resource and that might be a phone call to a person that’s in another country. While students are able to refer to a textbook or website for information about dogs or cats, it’s not quite as simple with zoo animals, Roth said.

In zoo medicine, no two days are ever the same, but Roth says that’s one of her favorite parts of the job.

β€œI may have my day planned out, but sometimes animals don’t have the same plan as I do,” she said.

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Contact Star reporter Caitlin Schmidt at 573-4191 or cschmidt@tucson.com.