Customer Reviews

The Rhino with Glue-On Shoes: And Other Surprising True Stories of Zoo Vets and their Patients

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a wonderful collection of stories that can inspire the youngest aspiring vet, while making even a medical professional smile. These ingenious, dedicated exotic animal doctors deserve our admiration even though their patients can't say "thanks" for themselves.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book from top to bottom. I loved reading about how caring, resourceful, and innovative these zoo veterinarians are. In many cases, they are doing something for the very first time in recorded history, and they manage to do it in most cases successfully and with a wonderful sense of humor. And it's clear they care deeply for their patients, even though they are not "pets". Kudos to Drs. Spelman and Mashima for sharing these charming stories.

Rhino has special appeal because of its various points of view and authors; because of its short essay-length articles; because of the variety of animals and ailments; because of the connections between animal health and human health. In short, it's a terrific book and an easy read, and I've had rave reviews from ages 11 to 76. It would make a great Christmas list book, as its appeal is to a wide audience.

From the rhino with reoccurring foot fungus, to the transport of a whale shark, rescuing dolphins left homeless by Hurricane Katrina, black bears with disappearing bones and eels starving for the love of a former owner, The Rhino With the Glue-On Shoes is an assortment of true stories featuring these and other unusual patients. Ever wonder how diagnostic tests are performed on giant Pacific octopus? How does one go about capturing and relocating a herd of destructive bison that are terrorizing the French countryside? Can an orphaned baby beluga survive to adulthood? Who do you call when a giraffe in your care needs a special orthotic (you get a lot of hang-ups)? The common thread pulling this diverse collection of stories together is the caring of the medical providers and the lengths they will travel to comfort and heal the animals in their care. Stories from all over the world and all types of animals, captive and wild will keep you engaged. Any animal lover will appreciate this

This is a wonderful book with some very inspiring stories in it! If you love animals, you will love this book!! Not only are there great stories in it, but I am also particularly fond of it because it has one of my photos in it! :o) You won't regret buying this book!

I really enjoyed this book even though some of the stories made me cry.

I don't think a lot of people realize how many wonderful efforts are made for non-domestic critters.

It's unfortunate (maybe not) that I couldn't adopt some of this animals.

I should preface this by saying I have helped do some promo for this book - which, as an animal lover, I've been really excited to do! "Rhino" is an engaging read for anyone wanting a view into the lives of zoo and wildlife veterinarians. The stories chronicle surprising and innovative solutions to various animal patient treatment challenges encountered by zoo and wild animal vets' from around the world.

Photographs of many of the actual animals help to connect the reader even more to these special animals. These true animal stories should appeal to any reader with an interest in animals or veterinary work - both adults and younger readers!

This book is a wonderful collection of short stories of Veterinarians and their patients. The challenges and rewards of being a doctor to the various animals in Zoos and Aquariums. Language is more clinically oriented and would have been better for the layperson with a glossary. However, each story is quite touching. At the conclusion of each story, a mini biography of each veterinarian follows. There are full color photos of the patients featured in the stories.

This is a great book for any aspiring veterinarian, biologist or just plain animal lover.

I highly recommend it.

I purchased this book while I was traveling for a vet school interview and found it to be very interesting. If you are not a vet/vet student, you will still find this book very interesting. It gives you an insight into the world of animal care in zoos that the average visitor probably NEVER thinks about. I found the stories to be interesting and insightful.......

The San Antonio and the Austin zoos reflect very different personalities. San Antonio is sometimes called the "Riviera of the US"; its zoo is world class with "over 3,500 animals representing 600 species of animals on 56 acres. More than 1,000,000 guests visit the San Antonio Zoo annually - 13,155 of those being children participating in education programs and 80,000 school children coming on field trips."

The Austin Zoo is much more of a no-kill animal shelter, like those that shelter dogs and cats throughout the US. "The mission of Austin Zoo and Animal Sanctuary is to assist animals in need through rescue, rehabilitation and education. We currently have over 300 animals from over 100 different species at the Zoo."

The Rhino with Glue-On Shoes: And Other Surprising True Stories of Zoo Vets and their Patients is a great resource for understanding animals in either zoo, but over 90% of the animals in Austin have serious problems of one kind or another: three badly abused lions (one from a cramped junkyard zoo, one discarded by a circus, one badly injured in a crash), a vulture without feet, dozens of others requiring imaginative care. At Austin, you can read their personal stories and see the patients apparently thriving under the keepers care.

Rhino tells the stories of other animals saved by imaginative and dedicated care by professional veterinarians; the other Reviews here on Amazon have done a great job of describing the contents of the book. It's heartening for an animal lover to read these stories and to see human compassion at work.

Of course, both the San Antonio and the Austin zoos have dedicated professional staffs. It's wonderful, though, to see the well cared for "patients" in person and to read about how others have been saved as well. We were inspired to increase our donations to two of the no-kill shelters in our area back home.

Robert C. Ross 2009