OmahaNebraska.com Interview with Dr. Laura Kleinschmidt, Veterinarian
Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium
OmahaNebraska.com:
What prepared you for this? Why did you want to do this? This is pretty amazing.
Dr. Laura Kleinschmidt:
So, I am a veterinarian and basically started as a little girl, and instead of Barbies, I liked playing with animal toys and horses and all sorts of things. So, from a very young age I knew I wanted to be a zoo veterinarian. And basically to become a zoo veterinarian you go through a lot of school. So undergraduate, which is a four-year college degree, followed by vet school, four years, and then five years of post-graduate training, as well. So I spent a little bit of time at Texas A&M University learning in their zoological medicine program. I spent three years of residency at the St. Louis Zoo and then I was a couple of years at the Dallas Zoo after residency before I came to Omaha a couple of years ago here.
So yeah, a long road to get into the field and certainly something I’ve always been passionate about and wanting to do.
But I think my biggest goal in being involved as a zoo professional is to promote the conservation of these unique animals. I have such a passion for it. Many of the folks who have already talked today have shown their passion, and so we really want to share that with the world, with our communities, and inspire that same passion into the next generation.
And the kids coming up through school and inspire them to want to save our animals in our natural environment.
OmahaNebraska.com:
It is such an important task.
Dr. Laura Kleinschmidt:
It is. Yes.
OmahaNebraska.com:
I don’t think people understand the magnitude of it and how quickly it can slip away.
Dr. Laura Kleinschmidt:
Everyday habitats are getting smaller and smaller in the natural world and really people like us, who work in our field all the zoo professionals across the world, that really want to promote, “Hey! this is important that we want to save the natural world for generations to come.”
OmahaNebraska.com:
Outside of the zoo, how would you recommend people try to save elephants?
Dr. Laura Kleinschmidt:
I think even small things, day to day things, can really contribute towards saving the natural environment. Things as simple as making sure you don’t litter, making sure your recycling your plastics so making sure we are not constantly filling our landfills and taking up that space.
OmahaNebraska.com:
So, those little steps every day ..
Dr. Laura Kleinschmidt:
Yes, those little steps turning off the water faucet when you are brushing your teeth, between rinses, taking quicker showers, I think there are all little things that we certainly can do.
If you are able to volunteer at your local wildlife rehabilitation center or a zoo and help contribute to things like that and certainly contribute monetarily towards that . . .
Because zoos send millions of dollars towards conservation organizations that are working in Africa, that are working in South America . . .
Every year they are contributing towards these places that want to keep the natural world alive and I think we do a really good job here as well collaborating with the US Fish and Wildlife Service to also conserve our natural species here in the US as well.
All those things are important.
OmahaNebraska.com:
Thank you.
