We all had to sign in before we could go on our DNR tour. We got to look into a BL3 lab (BioLab Level 3). When you go in that lab you have to change your clothes and shower on your way out! We were not going in there.... We did go into another lab where they check animals to see what the cause of their death was. People bring animals to the lab to be tested if they suspect they might have died from a disease.
We had to put on these darling blue slippers. Nothing in, nothing out. We took them off and threw them away after the autopsy.
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| My blue slippers. |
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| Dr. Tom with hawk. |
We then walked into the room where Dr. Tom was ready with a beautiful red-tailed hawk that someone had found along a wooded hunting area.
If you have just eaten, you might not want to go any further. However, if you have ever helped mom clean a whole chicken from the grocery store with all the insides in a bag and it didn't bother you, you will probably be fine with the rest of the pictures.
Dr. Tom checking for any broken bones in the wing.
This is where they keep the animals brought into the lab until they can be examined.
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| This is the part where you might want to close your eyes. |
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Dr. Tom examining the tail. |
The bird is thought to be a juvenile red-tailed hawk. It died of trauma. It did not appear to have been eating very well because there was not much food in its system. The bird might have flown into something because there was evidence of internal bleeding. Dr. Tom was having further tests done to check for West Nile virus. Other scientists will check the blood for signs of this virus.
This is an eagle that died of lead poisoning by eating a deer that had been shot with lead bullets. You need to look very carefully to see the small pieces of lead this eagle ingested. It did not take much to kill him.
This is a swan that also died of lead poisoning. The lead is the white dots on the lower right circular organ.
This lab tech examines bear teeth! That is a bear's skull she is holding! By studying bear's teeth, she can determine how old the bear was when it died and what years it had cubs......al by examining the teeth! She also will examine other animal teeth as well.
