What is the most satisfying part of my job at WVI? It is, without doubt, hearing back from those we have supported with real enthusiasm about what they have gone on to do.

We got this email from Peruvian wildlife vet, Priscilla Peralta, who won a Brian Miller Memorial Bursary last year.

“I'm writing to share some exciting news with you. Just before heading back to Gabon, I received a call from the veterinarian at a wildlife sanctuary in the Amazon who asked for my support.

She needed help conducting a health check on an old jaguar named ‘Prince’, who arrived at the sanctuary last year during my work with Panthera in Peru. This jaguar is a victim of the wildlife trafficking; he spent 15 years of his life in a small cage. Fortunately, he now lives a much better life at Pilpintuwasi, a sanctuary in the heart of the Amazon.

Last Thursday, I brought all my equipment to safely anaesthetise Prince: anaesthetics, antidotes, a blowpipe (still waiting to get my own dart rifle!), and I used a new anaesthetic protocol, which was the most exciting part for me. During his rescue last year, we used a combination of xylazine and ketamine. However, that's considered outdated for jaguars today.

Thanks to my field training in Zimbabwe earlier this year, I learned how newer protocols work on big cats. This time, I used Zoletil + Dexmedetomidine,with Atipamezole + Yohimbine as reversal agents. Dexmedetomidine is very hard to find in Peru, so it was a challenge, but the procedure went incredibly well. I’d definitely use this protocol again, though sourcing Zoletil (almost unavailable here) and Dexmedetomidine remains a challenge. 

Overall, it was a truly rewarding experience, and another step forward as I prepare myself to study jaguars in the wild at some point in the future.

I would like to thank you again for supporting my training and helping to highlight the work of wildlife vets around the world.“

You can find out more about how Prince got to be in Pilpinuwasi with the Bora Indigenous community in the heart of the Amazon in this short film.

WVI would like to thank the Metamorphosis Foundation for funding Priscilla’s bursary, and Brian Miller’s family for setting up the Brian Miller Memorial Bursary last year. We had too many excellent candidates and Metamorphosis Foundation kindly stepped in to increase the number of bursaries available.

Olivia