Zoo Miami, the fifth largest zoo in the United States, is situated in a section of Florida\u2019s native pine rockland. This savanna-like habitat coupled with the region\u2019s subtropical climate creates an ideal environment for the zoo\u2019s 3,000-plus animals from Australia, Africa, Asia, and the Americas. The collection represents 500 species, a quarter of which are endangered or critically endangered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The small team at the zoo\u2019s onsite animal hospital\u2014 four vets, two technicians, four hospital zookeepers, and a manager\u2014not only provides routine care but also helps preserve species in peril. It\u2019s a lot to manage in a 40-year-old facility, where archaic pen-and-paper systems have been the norm. While plans for a new state-of-the-art hospital are underway, the team was in dire need of a technology helping hand right away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Days at the hospital are carefully scheduled, but animals don\u2019t always do the expected. Plans pivot when a pregnant giraffe goes into labor or an animal eats something it shouldn\u2019t have, like a pacifier or sunglasses that are accidentally dropped into an exhibit. And then, there are complex procedures for non-routine medical needs, like the series of treatments Barney, a 28-year-old gorilla, required for pneumonia and the surgery baby pygmy hippo, Aubergine, required to correct his cleft palate. \u201cThe days are wild out there,\u201d said Samantha Pencar, Zoo Miami Foundation board member and former Zoo Miami zookeeper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The zoo also welcomes veterinary and medical specialists who come from around the country to provide their expertise on individual species or surgical procedures. The master schedule that organized it all was essentially a desk calendar. \u201cThe team was handwriting all the procedures, scheduling all the technicians and the externships, everything,\u201d explained Pencar. \u201cThe animal hospital desperately needed a technology upgrade.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Internal communication was often a big challenge. The team kept the animals\u2019 charts on paper, juggling notes from multiple caretakers for each animal. To intake new animals, an elaborate Excel sheet was recreated by hand on a dry erase board. The big visual was needed so the team could track medical and quarantine requirements before an animal could be placed in the zoo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition, the vet team regularly collaborates with other zoos, supports a conservation and research team, and provides educational programs. Due to the lack of technology, there wasn\u2019t a way for the team to easily share all this important work and information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The solution to the zoo\u2019s problems came out of a fortuitous connection. Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS), which uses Promethean products in all its schools, has a biology-focused magnet program at the zoo. On a site visit to the zoo classroom, Olema Herrera, M-DCPS instructional technology supervisor was given a tour that included a stop at the animal hospital. \u201cI saw how everything worked in terms of scheduling, which was all on this whiteboard,\u201d said Herrera. \u201cIt was really an outdated use of displaying information for the surgeons and for everybody who\u2019s in there.\u201d Knowing first-hand how effective interactive panels are at organizing and communicating information, she immediately saw the solution. The hospital needed an ActivPanel<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Herrera connected Pencar with Melissa Luck, the Promethean M-DCPS district education consultant, and the wheels were set in motion. Through a special donation, an ActivPanel was installed in the hospital. Immediately after, Luck joined Pencar and the veterinary staff for a professional development session to get everyone up and running with their new interactive display. The training was tailored to the team\u2019s unique needs and problems. \u201cThey were telling us what their day-to-day is like, which helped us to think about other ways that we could use the panel,\u201d said Luck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since then, the panel has dramatically changed the hospital\u2019s workflow. Vets, techs, and staff use it to prepare for surgeries that require intense teamwork between anesthesiologists, surgeons, technicians, and out-of-town specialists. The split screen allows each provider to simultaneously take notes that impact their individual roles, plan the timing of procedures, and compile it all into a single chart. \u201cThere are so many technicians or veterinarians monitoring different aspects of the animal, whether it\u2019s respiration, anesthesia, medication administration,\u201d said Pencar. \u201cAll of the information is now in one visible place. Ultimately, it has streamlined their communication.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The team also uses the timer as a clock and stopwatch. \u201cIt\u2019s something large so you could time breathing, you could time heart rate, you could time administration of medication,\u201d explained Pencar. \u201cReally crucial parts of their operation are made simple and more effective.\u201d Another task made easier is the intake and outtake of animals. Instead of using the dry erase board system, staff can just share that file on the ActivPanel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAll of the information is now in one visible place. Ultimately, it has streamlined their communication.\u201d <\/em><\/strong><\/p>Samantha Pencar<\/em><\/strong><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n One unexpected benefit of the panel was its ability to let the veterinary team highlight its work. While most zoo visitors never see what happens behind the scenes, the animal hospital is a regular stop on special tours for prospective donors, corporate partners, future board directors, and community leaders who can have a transformational impact on the zoo Previously, the team didn\u2019t have much to visually show guests. Now they can share slide shows of pictures and videos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey save animals lives all the time, including exotic animals that are critically endangered. It\u2019s nice for them to have a place to highlight that work,\u201d said Pencar. \u201cThe ability with the panel to show all of the things that they\u2019ve done in the past as people come visit is a point of pride for that team.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis was the first step towards integrating technology into the zoo,\u201d said Pencar. Now the hospital\u2019s staff members are envisioning ways the panel can help them have a bigger impact. In addition to treatment rooms, a laboratory, and a pharmacy, the new hospital will have educational space for K-12 and higher-ed students, including Ph.D. candidates. \u201cThe panel provides an opportunity to become an advocate for all of the work that we\u2019re doing through educational platforms,\u201d said Pencar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pencar also anticipates easier collaboration with other zoos, the potential to livestream surgeries, and share their work more widely. \u201cI think the possibilities are endless,\u201d she said. As for the veterinary team? \u201cThey love the panel, they love it. They\u2019re so excited to continue to learn more about how to use it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Curious if an ActivPanel is the right solution for you? Request a demo and let’s talk about it! <\/p>\n\n\n\nShining a light on important veterinary work<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Seeing new possibilities for the future through tech<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n