My job now requires a lot of writing and talking on the phone, but I still get a chance to do studies of red wolves in their natural habitat. Several years ago, I studied vultures in Central America. I have worked with orphaned or injured animals, specifically raptors, which are birds like hawks, eagles, and owls. Most of these birds were injured in some way and we rehabilitated those that we could and would return them back to the wild. Sometimes animals may appear to be orphaned, but in most cases it is best to leave them alone as their parents may be somewhere nearby.
Many states have places that are licensed to provide care for orphaned animals.
Animals usually die in zoos because they are old or sick, though sometimes we don't know why they die. When an animal dies, our veterinarians will do what is called a necropsy, which means they cut the animal open to look at their internal organs like the heart, lungs, and liver. Many times veterinarians will be able to see things that may have caused or contributed to the animal's death. Then, samples from these and other organs are sent to a lab, where a pathologist will look at them to try to confirm the cause of death. By doing this we can learn many things that will help us take care of other animals in the zoo or in the wild.