Pedro A. Martinez-Perez Australian Society for Microbiology Annual Scientific Meeting 2016

Pedro A. Martinez-Perez

It was not until my 4th year in Veterinary School at the University in Colombia that I was introduced to the topic of wildlife medicine. From then on, I started volunteering and enrolling in various wildlife units, external courses and activities and continued to pursue these in both my intern- and extern- ship studies (at the Jardín Zoológico Simón Bolivar and the GAIA Wildlife Rescue Centre in Costa Rica), to finally graduate with 1st Class A Honours after a 2 year research on the reintroduction of confiscated scarlet macaws (Ara macao) back onto the wild, with emphasis in their haematology and blood chemistry. Upon the completion of these studies I was involved with a short-term project with the Andean Condor Conservation Program (RENACER). I then moved to Costa Rica and over the next eight years worked as a head veterinarian consultant for various wildlife rescue centres where I was involved in caring for confiscated, orphaned or injured fauna, as well as other activities such as law enforcement, environmental education, and animal rescues, rehabilitation and reintroductions. In 2008 I moved to Western Australia to complete a Masters in Conservation Medicine at Murdoch University, after which, I continued on with a Doctor of Philosophy in Wildlife Veterinary Studies. I am currently enrolled as a PhD candidate (Thesis being examined) with Murdoch University investigating the health status of threatened quokka (Setonix brachyurus) populations on both the mainland and Rottnest Island. I am associated with and collaborate very closely with various major conservation organisations in WA such as Department of Parks and Wildlife (DPaW) and Rottnest Island Authority (RIA), as well as academic institutions such as the School of Veterinary Science, The University of Melbourne. My current and future research interests continue to lie in infectious diseases (bacterial, fungal, viral), disease risk assessment and conservation medicine pertaining native Australian fauna, particularly macropods.