Programs

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DAY 1: Aquatic Husbandry & Healthcare Workshop

“Do you think an anemone is an animal?”

The crowd fell silent and whispers of their answers rippled the stagnant room. Well, who would’ve ever thought, that even though our country is rich with reef in the open waters and deep, our very own corals are dying of diseases in which might probably require similar treatment pathway and diagnosis just like how us veterinarians are already doing for the animals on land. Besides, being filled in with Corals 101, we were fortunate to learn from the researchers themselves on how we can preserve our existing reef, as well as knowing how to take care of our own in man-made aquariums, where all those water parameters are nothing to belittle in the slightest.

More intriguing is when our instructor Mr. James conducted the wet-lab practical where each participant was given the chance to dissect live and dead corals all the time giving us the opportunity to appreciate the anatomy of the gonads inside.

Alas, much research is still needed before recruiting vets for all animals of the ocean, however with the massive amount of passion injected by our speakers today, it’ll be no surprise to have our very own Malaysian aquatic veterinarian who treats literally all animals under the sea.

DAY 2: Aquatic Medicine Workshop

The second day was a full-day practical where the participants were given fishes of multiple species to choose from as their ‘patient’ of the day. The morning started with a dive into the basics with Dr Fuad leading the way with his presentation of the multiple aquatic cases he was given to the opportunity to work with. The myriads of cases then paved way for us to revise on the chronological steps of diagnosis needed to narrow down the definite prognosis in such cases, which included scraping for parasites from the fins, scales, and clipping portions of the gills. The venue provided ample number of microscopes for all participants to peruse at their own pace, while enjoying a look through past specimens collected by our speakers from their past cases.

Besides screening for parasites under microscopes, we were also given the opportunity to practice our anesthesia and surgical skills on the fishes. In the end, not only did we have the luxury to get used to suturing in between slippery scales, blood withdrawal workshops from the caudal peduncle from the lateral and ventral approach and examining thin blood smears were also done. While recovering, all peacock basses, tilapias, and kois were safely cared for and managed to recover at their own pace, with some participants even chancing upon a technique to feel for and eventually perform CPR on the fishes’ hearts when required.

So many practical skills that are applicable on field were shared and the participants’ (did I mention even our sponsors took part in the practicals?) happy faces at the end of the event were more than enough to put our spirits soaring high and looking forward to future events.