Exhibit on Animal Care Visit Fair Oaks This Weekend
A traveling Smithsonian exhibit on animal care will make a stop at Fair Oaks Farms over the weekend. Sponsored by Zoetis Animal Health and the American Veterinary Medical Foundation, the traveling exhibit is housed in a 1000 square foot truck and features interactive activities to educate visitors about animal care and the role of veterinarians. Dr. Christine Jenkins, with Zoetis, says visitors can try their hand at being veterinarians, “We have interactive touch screen tables and folks can take a turn trying to diagnose an animal’s problems whether it is a piglet, a cheetah, or a dog.” She hopes that this experience may inspire some of the young people to consider a career as a veterinarian.
The exhibit also will give visitors an idea of what real farm animal care is all about, “This is a really good fit for the Fair Oaks Farm because we have a special focus on how to feed and care for dairy cows.” The free exhibit will be parked near the main gate of the working dairy farm. The exhibit was developed to mark the 150th anniversary of the American Veterinary Medical Association in 2013.
Jenkins says the issue of antibiotic use in livestock production is not specifically addressed, but the exhibit does stress if importance of animal care and how farmers and veterinarians work together to insure that farm animals are well cared for, “The exhibit does not deal with any specific issues, but focuses on the management practices and how veterinarians work with producers to insure the health of farm animals. The exhibit will be at Fair Oaks on Saturday and Sunday and at the Ft. Wayne Children’s Museum on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Dr. Jenkins leads the Zoetis Veterinary Medical Services group and is responsible for customer support, adverse event reporting, and pharmacovigilance with responsibility as the Chief Veterinary Medical Officer for US Operations. Additionally, she oversees the Academic and Professional Affairs team responsible for strategic partnerships with U.S. and Caribbean colleges of veterinary medicine and other key industry associations. As a member of Zoetis U.S. Leadership Team, Jenkins works closely on the Commitment to Veterinarians™ platform—which offers support through training and education, research and development, and investments in the future of the veterinary profession.