REU and REV’s Wild About Knoxville Zoo Tour

Veterinary professor Juergen Schumacher introduces an old friend, a gibbon at the Knoxville Zoo.

Veterinary professor Juergen Schumacher recalled the first time he met a gibbon at the Knoxville Zoo: the young ape surprised him by climbing atop his shoulder, and for a split moment, Schumacher thought maybe his ear was about to become a snack. Thankfully, Schumacher, professor and director of avian and zoological medicine at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, still had both his ears as he told this tale to NIMBioS REU and REV students touring the zoo today. Schumacher led the tour, and to the amazement of the students, this time when the gibbon saw his favorite zoo vet, he swung down from his perch and put his feet up to the glass to say hello. This was just one of many highlights of the walking tour, during which Schumacher shared stories with the students of the challenges and successes of his veterinary work with the zoo animals.

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