Speakers | AVA Spring Meeting
Dr. Nigel Caulkett
Dr. Caulkett completed his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Degree at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) in 1989. Soon after graduation he worked in the Northwest Territories, performing semen analysis on wood bison. He spent a year in mixed animal practice and returned to WCVM in 1990 to start a clinical residency in veterinary anesthesiology. After completion of his residency, he started on faculty at WCVM in 1994 and received board certification in the same year. Dr. Caulkett was on faculty at WCVM until 2006, and subsequently moved to the University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (UCVM) where he served as the founding Head of the Department of Veterinary Clinical and Diagnostic Science. He retired from the University of Calgary in 2024 and works in small animal and equine specialty practices.
Dr. Caulkett’s research interests include: Refinement of capture and handling techniques for free-ranging wildlife, large animal analgesia, farm animal welfare and comparative anesthesia. He has worked with graduate and undergraduate programs in Brazil, Uganda and India. Dr. Caulkett first started working with black bears in 1984 and has collaborated on projects to develop capture techniques and supportive care in black bears, polar bears and brown bears. He is a co-editor of two textbooks focused on wildlife capture and handling and has numerous scientific articles in this field.
Dr.vet.med. Svenja Springer
Svenja Springer completed her veterinary studies at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, subsequently obtaining her doctorate on the topic of euthanasia in small animal medicine. She then pursued a PhD program at the University of Copenhagen, focusing on the ethical challenges arising from the continuous advancements in small animal medicine.
Currently, Svenja Springer serves as a researcher and lecturer in veterinary ethics at the Messerli Research Institute. Her research interests are primarily centred on the empirical analysis of human-animal relationships and the moral challenges encountered by veterinary professionals. Additionally, she presents at national and international conferences, aiming to illuminate issues of veterinary ethics within the profession.
In her lectures, Svenja Springer prioritizes the identification and reflection on existing challenges and dilemmas over providing prescriptive action guidelines, with the objective of developing practical and contextually relevant solutions.
Dr. Cobus Raath
Dr. Cobus Raath is a South African wildlife veterinarian and entrepreneur with over three decades of experience in wildlife health and pharmaceutical development. He graduated with a BVSc from the University of Pretoria in 1985 and spent 11 years as Veterinarian for SANParks stationed at Kruger National Park. In 1997, driven by a passion for conservation, he founded Wildlife Pharmaceuticals, specialising in the research, development, and manufacturing of veterinary pharmaceuticals for zoo and wildlife species. As an expert in chemical immobilisation, Dr. Raath has made significant contributions to the safe and effective use of anaesthetics and sedatives in wildlife management. He continues to actively advance wildlife care and One Health implementation through research projects, sharing his knowledge by teaching, and clinically assisting wildlife veterinarians worldwide.