Department of Animal Health

Zoological medicine is a specialty within the field of veterinary medicine dedicated to providing state-of-the-art medical and surgical care to zoo and free-living non-domestic species of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and invertebrates. This specialty of veterinary medicine is recognized by board certification by the American Veterinary Medical Association.

The National Zoo's health care team is composed of clinical veterinarians, veterinary pathologists, and nutritionists working together to meet the needs of the animals in the Zoo's collection and participate in conservation efforts around the world.

The Department of Animal Health’s (DAH) mission is to provide veterinary care to the animals at the Zoo, while being international leaders in investigating health and disease processes in animals in captivity and the wild. During the last three decades, the Zoo has led the field of zoological medicine by promoting three critical elements of zoological medicine: clinical medicine, training, and research.

Program Elements

elephant Clinical Medicine

The primary focus of the Department of Animal Health is to provide the best clinical veterinary care to the animals in the Zoo. more

giant pandasTraining
The Department of Animal Health has been training specialists in zoological medicine for more than 20 years. more
p-horse Research
As specialists in zoological medicine, Zoo veterinarians participate in clinical and conservation research. more



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