Welcome back readers to another year of Kane County shenanigans! If you are a first time reader, welcome! You should be prepared to learn about wildlife and the work that goes into studying them. Alexis back this summer with a new vet student named Maura. We are two veterinary students from the University of Illinois who will be journeying to the Kane County Forest Preserve to spend the summer working with the elusive Blanding’s turtle. Whether you are a turtle enthusiast or our parents (whom we told to read this), we are excited to include you on our adventures. Maura is a future second year originally Chicago who went to St. Louis University for undergrad to study biology pre-vet medicine. Alexis is a future third year originally from Deerfield, IL and went to undergrad at University of Illinois for Animal Science.
We got a head start a few weeks ago on packing! We generally use giant coolers to transport all of our lab supplies.
Alexis shows Maura what we look for on the carapace of a Blanding’s turtle during a PE.
Alexis shows Maura how to open a turtle’s mouth for oral assessments and swabs.
Maura and Alexis’ finals brains are in full swing and we are limited on our ability to appropriately form non-doctor-word sentences. Check back next week when we are done with exams and have relocated to Kane County. We are most excited for all of the coffee breaks and turtle fun yet to come!!
