For Kevin Castle, the passion surrounding wildlife animals latched onto his heart at a young age and never let go. Although it took him a while to find his true calling as a wildlife and ER veterinarian, Kevin took his time and has had an incredible 25-year career to show for it. Today Kevin is sharing his wealth of knowledge and impressive thrill-seeking stories to give us an overall picture of what wildlife ecology is really all about.

If you have ever been curious about what it is like to work in the wild, what the job truly consists of and the risks and rewards of being in the field, this is the episode for you. Kevin is telling us all about how he got into the world of wildlife veterinary medicine, which species he most enjoys working with, relives the time he spent in Kirgizstan researching snow leopards, and much more.

Everything from our ice hockey skills to what it takes to work with the National Parks Service is on the table today, so get ready for a unique perspective on some of your favorite wild animals. Learn what it’s like to become an expert on animal welfare, permits, drugs, and being the one in charge of these miraculous animals.

What animal do you dream of working with? Let us know in the comments on the episode page!

 

In This Episode

• A breakdown of the opportunities available for wildlife veterinarians
• The difference between being a wildlife biologist and a wildlife vet
• Implementing conservation work into wildlife ecology
• Travel from the mountains of Kirgizstan to the National Parks Service in Florida
• Why bats are some of the hardest and most interesting animals to research

 

Quotes

“I think you can do anything you want to if you put your mind to it that way. And if you look at it as an opportunity and something that is going to be fun, to me that was one of the big things” (10:07)

“To stand in a field somewhere with a pair of binoculars and say ‘wow I am getting paid for this’ is such a good feeling.” (12:11)

“The most important role for the wildlife veterinarian is to be there in case something goes wrong with a capture event” (21:44)

“There’s an awful lot more that goes into it than pulling the trigger. And that’s the part that I like, I like everything about it. And being part of the team is really fun” (45:02)

“It’s just that feeling of, this is what I like doing. Life should be about having fun. It’s going to have its downsides, be a drag sometimes, but ultimately it needs to be fun” (48:37)

 

Links

WildlifeConsulting.org

Follow Kevin on LinkedIn

 

Find the full show notes here 

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