Dr Mishka Stennett, Contributed

Dr Mishka Stennett dives to examine corals.

There are many veterinary clinicians in Jamaica, the toiling faithful that take care of dogs, cats, horses and farm animals. It is a fantastic career, one that is fulfilling to many. That was the path I had intended to take when I graduated a few years ago, but serendipity had other plans. I was fated to have two unconventional careers in veterinary medicine.

My first bout with unconventionality was with coral reef research, studying mainly Staghorn Coral (Acropora cervicornis): replanting them where they had died for various reasons. I learnt how to dive as part of the job requirement, and have dived to 110 feet, all in the name of science. This career, though short-lived ( 1 ¹/² years), was extremely fulfilling because the results of my research on the distribution and growth of these corals were used in efforts to educate fishermen about ways to improve the size of their catches, as well as to improve the health of the coral reefs in Jamaica.

Involvement with dolphins

Soon thereafter, I became involved with dolphins as the resident veterinarian at Dolphin Cove in Ocho Rios. It has been three years and I am still in awe of these magnificent mammals. Although we learned about such animals in school, the hands-on experience has been invaluable. Bottlenose dolphins (Tursipos truncatus) are marine mammals, not fish, so they live in water, but they breathe air, give birth to live offspring and produce milk, among other characteristics of mammals. Some interesting facts about dolphins are that they usually live together in groups called pods, and have a matriarchal society.

Their heat season is around February and the females usually give birth to a single calf at a time, which can suckle up to 18 months! Dolphins are known for their intelligence (remember Flipper?), and watching the trainers at Dolphin Cove teach a new behaviour is testimony to this.

In school, the teachers tell you that the 'world is your oyster' and I did not believe it until the last few years when I was able to do things I never knew were even available to veterinarians in Jamaica.

So, for those of us who crave a career that is a little unconventional, there are opportunities out there, we just need to look for them.