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ALUM Spotlight Dr. Marie Rush '98

Everyday is an adventure for Dr. Marie Rush, Director of Veterinary Services at the Birmingham Zoo in Alabama where she oversees the care and management of all of the animals. In fall 2004 Dr. Rush and the Birmingham Zoo made headline news as she organized a 14 member team to perform the world’s first cardiac resynchronization therapy implantation on the zoo’s 25 year old gorilla, Babec. The device is an advanced pacemaker designed to improve the quality and duration of his life.

Previously, through a study program with Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo, Dr. Rush traveled to South Africa to research genetic material and reproductive techniques for multiple hoofstock species (warthog, kudu, waterbuck, blesbok, eland and impala). In 2001 Dr. Rush began her own consulting service for other veterinarians, zoos and for wildlife rehabilitators. "I have specialty training in ultrasound, and would often travel to other locations to apply this diagnostic tool to animal procedures," says Dr. Rush. She also worked as a relief veterinarian for multiple mixed animal practices across the state. She continues to work with exotic pets that she had started seeing a couple of years ago through the animal hospital where she still practices some weekends.

Q. What is a typical day at the zoo like for you?

A. In this business, there is no “typical day,” which keeps life interesting. My day starts around 7:30AM and usually continues until 8-9PM. I have found it helpful to maintain a scheduled routine as often as possible. This allows for some organization, in what can rapidly and unpredictably become a chaotic day. The veterinary intern accompanies me for all aspects of medical and surgical care, for training and experience. During the final months of internship, the intern is given primary responsibility for multiple cases, and I teach and consult on each case.

In the mornings, I go on rounds of the collection, where I walk over grounds, visualize most of the collection, and evaluate any animal that may be under medical observation or care. Each case is discussed with one of the respective departmental keepers. After rounds, any necessary procedures (surgeries, bandages, etc.) are completed. For major procedures, schedules are set many days or weeks in advance, and we start first thing in the morning to assist management of any complications that may arise.

Some days are filled with examinations of animals, bandage changes, medication administration, radiographs and general care management. Other days may entail immobilizations of large or dangerous animals for annual physical examinations, ultrasounds, blood samples, treatments, etc. and/or surgeries. Every case is different and requires different care and management. I work with all of the animals in the zoo, so today it may be a gazelle or gorilla, tomorrow a rattlesnake, crane or sea lion. This makes everyday an adventure.

Q. What is the story of Babec and what did it take to coordinate the surgery your gorilla needed?

A. Babec is a 25 year old, male Western Lowland Gorilla. In 2003 he was diagnosed with heart disease during an examination. Until September of 2004, he was treated with medications to assist management and support of this disease. In July of 2004, at one of his follow-up examinations, his condition was noted to have progressed significantly. Over the next few months, the medications alone could longer support his quality of life. At this time, a team of experts in the field of cardiology, both human and animal, was assembled to place a Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy device in Babec to attempt assistance in improvement of his heart disease. This is a common procedure for humans with the same heart condition, so the same technology and procedures were applied, with compensations necessary for physiologic and anatomical differences between humans and gorillas. Guidant Corporation, Phillips Medical Systems, the University of Alabama at Birmingham Medical School, Seko International transport, Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine and Clay County Medical Clinics all played critical roles in providing equipment, expertise and skill for the team to perform the procedure. This team contributed to the first procedure and the repair procedure when an altercation with a companion animal damaged the placement of the device. At this time, Babec is doing well and is responding positively to the device. Heart disease is not curable, but I am hopeful that this therapy will continue to improve his quality of life and longevity.

Q. What's the best part of your job and what is the toughest?

A. The best part of being a zoo veterinarian is the feeling that comes with giving 100% to each animal and knowing that I am making a positive difference in each animal's life. It is rewarding to be a part of a global conservation effort, where each person, in each location, who contributes something to sustaining the many species on this planet makes up one large team with a common goal to conserve the flora and fauna of this great planet. Every day and every animal provides a new adventure and a new opportunity to make a difference, and that keeps my career interesting and exciting.

The toughest part of this career is easily the loss of any animal. Every living creature has a finite lifespan, and this is a truth we all face in our lives. However, the loss of an animal is the loss of a friend and beloved member of the zoo family and is painful, even with the realization of inevitability. The circle of life applies to all living creatures, so the loss of an animal enhances the recognition of new life when an animal is born, which always reminds me of the importance of each life in that circle, and the role I can play in ensuring each animal in my care has the best quality of life I can offer.

Q. Did Auburn prepare you well for your career?

A. I received my undergraduate and graduate degree from Auburn, and am proud of it!! Auburn gave me the well rounded education and experience to have the strength and ambition to pursue my highest goals. I have lived and worked in many cities over this country, as well as traveled abroad, and have always been able to incorporate my time at Auburn into each endeavor I pursue. I continue to find support and teaching there, and am proud to be part of the Auburn family, and plan to continue my involvement at Auburn for the rest of my life, by teaching at and learning from the institution that has given me so much.

Q. What does the Auburn spirit mean to you?

A. Auburn spirit to me is the feeling of pride that I get when someone asks me where I received my education and I smile and ask if there is any other school in the world but Auburn. There is no feeling comparable to the delight I have when I see Samford Hall in the moonlight or Tiger majestically fly at each football game. It is the swell in my chest when I proudly tell someone I am an Auburn Tiger or yell War Eagle at a big game, or when I tell people I am a third generation graduate on both sides of my family. It is the joy in my heart from rolling Toomer's corner or remembering “The Flush,” marching in the band, living in the dorms, sliding down The Hill in the snow on cafeteria trays or going to a movie at Langdon Hall. Auburn spirit is the dedication I feel when I sing the Alma Mater, mean every word and know it was the first song I ever taught my niece to sing when she was just one year old. Auburn spirit means that I am an Auburn Tiger, win or lose, for the rest of my life and I am always proud to let people know it. WAAAARRR EAGLE, HEY!