K-State alum leads the charge to bring bison back to the prairie with a hands-on veterinary externship.
The value of bison has fluctuated drastically over the years. Native Americans relied heavily on bison for their food and clothing, and then settlers hunted bison for profit, entertainment and extermination.
The bison population has been dwindling for decades, but thanks to people like Dr. Tom Bragg, a staff veterinarian at Turner Institute of Ecoagriculture and K-State alum, the number and well-being of bison has gradually increased.
Bragg, who has worked with bison for more than 25 years, shares his expertise with the new generation of K-State veterinary students by beginning an externship program. One of his students was Mikayla Lacher, a veterinary medicine major who is now a practicing animal doctor.
“She reached out through the National Bison Association, so I called her back,” Dr. Bragg said. “Students usually want to come do an externship in the summer because it’s convenient, but the summer is slow for us. Most of our bison work happens between October and the end of February.”
Lacher’s externship lasted five days at media mogul Ted Turner’s McGinley Ranch in Nebraska, with February temperatures ranging from 20 below zero to 20 above. The action-packed opportunity consisted of pregnancy checks via ultrasound and palpation, vaccinations, blood draws and two necropsies. The ranch also taught Lacher about its bison chute system and common bison behaviors.
“The most challenging aspect of this externship was the weather,” Lacher said. “Bison thrive in colder weather, so temperature was not an issue for them. As for the workers, it was hard to keep warm and keep vaccines thawed.”
Bison are a unique, dangerous and unpredictable species that require specific handling practices and patience. The externship teaches tomorrow’s professionals about bison and large animals in a real-world setting.
“Bison medicine is a super niche field. If you are interested in bison medicine, get as much experience as you can,” Lacher said. “Everyone has a different way of doings things; learn as many of those techniques as you can!”
By Kate Ellwood
Curated from: Dr. Tom Bragg’s career focuses on care and management of bison herds
