HSI Report: Advanced Seminar in
Applied Veterinary Medicine:Wildlife Medicine I (Zoo Science)
University News | February 27, 2023

The course participants touring the Veterinary Medicine Training Hospital, HokkaidoUniversity.

The course Advanced Seminar in Applied Veterinary Medicine: WildlifeMedicine I (Zoo Science) was held between August 22, 2022 and August29, 2022 as part of the Hokkaido Summer Institute (HSI) 2022. The
course, a study tour, is in the field of Veterinary Sciences. It takes
participants to a number of towns across eastern Hokkaido, wherelivestock farming is a major industry, and gives them a wide view ofveterinary care practices for a diversity of animals in a variety of settings.
The course was organized by Professor Toshio Tsubota at the Faculty ofVeterinary Medicine; he also guided the tour, along with AssistantProfessor Yojiro Yanagawa. “The course was started in 2009 as a study
tour exchange programme with the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary
Studies, University of Edinburgh,” Tsubota recounted. “Bringing it underthe HSI umbrella has expanded the reach of the course and increased thefrequency of exchanges.” Participants this year included students from theSchool of Science and the School of Medicine at Hokkaido University.

A discussion about the methods used to raise ticks in the International Institute for Zoonosis
Control (IIZC).

During the study tour, participants visited a number of institutes andfacilities across eastern Hokkaido, and were instructed by veterinarians
specializing in different animals, from pets such cats and dogs to large
animals such as horses, cattle, and even polar bears. The goal is to provide
participants, particularly the overseas members, with knowledge ofveterinary medical practice in Japan, so that they would be able tocompare it with their home countries. In addition, the course also seeks tofoster multiculturalism and respect for diverse viewpoints in participants.
The study tour started off on the Hokkaido University campus, with ashort orientation lecture. This was followed by a tour of the Veterinary

Medicine Training Hospital, where participants observed a number ofveterinary procedures being carried out, and compared notes onsimilarities and differences between practice in Scotland and Japan.
The participants visited the Hokkaido University International Institutefor Zoonosis Control (IIZC). They attended a seminar by Hokkaido
University Professor Hiroshi Kida and two students on their research
projects. Subsequently, the participants were given a tour of thesequencer lab and the mosquito- & tick-raising facilities.

Learning about the veterinary facilities and equipment available within Asahiyama Zoo.

Following a conference on the second day, the study tour proper
commenced on the third day of the course. The participants visited
Asahiyama Zoo, Asahikawa City, and were introduced to the Zoo
veterinary team, who guided them around the facilities and gave them alook at areas not accessible to the general public — including the facility
where, in 2021, Asahiyama Zoo achieved the first captive breeding ofpolar bears in 40 years.

Dr. Nicola Earnshaw, Dick Vet General Practice Clinician at theUniversity of Edinburgh, had accompanied participants from theUniversity of Edinburgh for this study tour. “I hope this study tour helps
students realize the diversity of options available in the veterinarysciences once they graduate,” she said. “I also hope this experience helps
them understand that, though veterinarians the world over share similargoals, our practice and approaches are highly varied.”

Examining the polar bear breeding enclosure in Asahiyama Zoo.

The next day the study tour proceeded eastwards, with the participants
visiting the Shiretoko Nature Foundation to learn about deer and bear
management, and then south to Shibetsu Town, Nemuro, to experiencewildlife tourism from a veterinary perspective. Turning back west, thetour visited the Kushiro Wildlife Conservation Center, to learn about
Hokkaido’s native wildlife and migratory birds that overwinter in themarshes of Kushiro.

At the Japan Racing Association training ranch.

The tour then visited Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary
Science, where they were shown how the university practices veterinary
care of horses. After a visit to the various facilities on campus, theparticipants were introduced to foals conceived by in vitro fertilization(IVF), which is important for the conservation of Japan’s native horse
breeds.

Interacting with a particularly curious foal, which had been conceived by IVF, Obihiro
University of Agriculture and Veterinary Science.

On the final day of the tour, the participants visited the Japan RacingAssociation (JRA) Training Ranch and the Bloodhorse Training Centre inUrakawa. Here, they learned about the veterinary needs of JRA andorganized horse racing, as well as about the various facilities used to train
horses for racing. The tour ended on the same day, with participants
returning to their accommodations in Sapporo — and the overseas
participants flying out the next day.
“This study tour is only one half of the course,” stated Yanagawa. “In a few
months, six veterinary students from Hokkaido University will visit
Edinburgh for a similar tour.”Nicola Earnshaw (left), Toshio Tsubota (center) and Yojiro Yanagawa (right), during thestudy tour.

The course list for the Hokkaido Summer Institute 2023 is now available
at https://hokkaidosummerinstitute.oia.hokudai.ac.jp/ . Applications
will run from March 6 to March 15, 2023.

The Advanced Seminar in Applied Veterinary Medicine: Wildlife
Medicine I (Zoo Science) course will also be offered this year, in thesecond half of August (exact dates to be decided).
Written by Sohail Keegan Pinto