Body Worlds 2 at the Ontario Science Centre

I have been wanting to get to this exhibit since it opened in September. This past weekend I finally made it there.

It was interesting to say the least. The exhibit consisted of both animal and human cadavers that have been preserved through a process called plastination by a German anatomist named Dr. Gunther von Hagens.

http://www.koerperwelten.de/en/pages/gunther_von_hagens.asp

This process prevents the decay of tissues and preserves them in their natural state. It was quite a site to see.

http://www.koerperwelten.de/en/pages/plastination.asp

I was amazed that the bodies were on display without the protection of glass cases so you could walk right up to and move around the bodies to see them from every angle.

I am sure this exhibit will prove educational to all, including those studing & working in human and veterinary medicine.

They had a great display of a camel. I was amazed that such a large animal could be preserved in one piece.

I am not sure how one decides to donate their body for plastination and display but they definetly have offered the public at rare look at how we are really made up.

If you don't have a weak stomach and have the opportunity check it out!

http://www.koerperwelten.de/en/pages/home.asp

Disney's Animal Kingdom

While in Orlando for the NAVC we stayed a few extra days at Disney.

Of course being an animal person we had to make a stop at Disney's Animal Kingdom.


I was there on a few occasions in the past. Once when the park opened and twice to spend the day job shadowing to see what life was like working in a zoo type setting.

I was amazed as usual on this past visit. The habitats for the animals are exceptional. The are large and very well designed with many natural species of flora and fauna. Of all the animals we saw that day I only saw one that looked a little anxious and that very well could have been because it was feeding time.

Disney has really outdone themselves, in my opinion, by providing wonderful places for their collection to live and by providing their guests with great opportunities to learn more about the Animal Kingdom!

NAVC Orlando 2006

I had the pleasure of attending the North American Veterinary Conference (NAVC) 2006 this year in Orlando Florida.

http://www.tnavc.org

The conference was definetly a well oiled machine. With over 15,000 people in attendance (including veterinarians, veterinary technicians as well as office managers and support staff) one could see why so many people attend.

Aside from the numerous lectures to choose from ( including tracks dedicated to small animal, large animal and exotics) the conference centres and accomodations were top class. With such a huge conference, the lectures were spread out among a few resorts and transportation on coach style buses were exceptionally planned to transport delegates to and from each location.

It is definetly a must see at least once in anyones career in veterinary medicine!