Outlook
Bangkok Post
Read more news at bangkokpost.com
WE CARE
t took Pattarapol Maneeorn five days trekking
I through the jungle in Chanthaburi province
to find a 65-year-old wild elephant stuck in
mud. By the time the wildlife vet arrived,
the animal was breathing slowly, his eyes show-
ing his fatigue; his heart, left lung and kidney
were being pressed down on by his six-tonne
body.
Given medicine and doses of vitamins, the
elephant became a little stronger. Three days
later, a group of soldiers and local villagers
tried to haul the creature from the mud. He
groaned noisily, trying to lift himself up. Finally
he was able to stand on his hind legs, one last
time, before he fell dead to the ground.
‘‘He had been waiting for me for so long.
And it was too late to nurse him back to health.
‘‘But I couldn’t get there any faster, I just
couldn’t,’’ Pattarapol admitted, his eyes hidden
behind black sunglasses. Before his arrival, he
was treating a wounded Indian muntjac deer
in Kao Yai, about 250km away.
Wild animals do not show signs of weakness
or injury if not severely injured. And at that
time the elephant didn’t need the most skilful
vet, just the quickest to arrive to save his life.
But, what if there is only one vet. How can he
save every life? How can he always arrive on
time? ‘‘It’s impossible,’’ he said.
For five years, Pattarapol has been the only
vet working with Dr Songtam Suksawang, dir-
ector of the National Park Research Division
Pattarapol ‘Dr Lott’ Maneeorn helps a 65-year-old wild elephant stuck in the mud in a jungle in Chanthaburi province.
Walk on the In my life, however, fixed
working hours don’t exist.
wild side Meet ‘Dr Lott’, wildlife vet
My clothes always get wet and
messy in mud. My office is in
the jungle. And my patients are
wild animals.
Pattarapol Maneeorn
Story by KRITTIYA WONGTAVAVIMARN
of the Wildlife and Plant Conservation De-
partment, and Dr Samart Sumanochitraporn,
director of the department’s Wildlife Conser-
vation Office. It’s not an easy task, and for
Pattarapol, aka ‘‘Dr Lott’’, it’s not something
to be proud of, he said.
‘‘My life sucks,’’ laughed the 28-year-old.
‘‘The ideal life is like wearing a black tie, driving
a fancy car, going to the movies, working out
at the gym and being a good breadwinner, a
good husband and a good father. In my life,
however, fixed working hours don’t exist. My
clothes always get wet and messy in mud. My
office is in the jungle. And my patients are wild
animals. See? My life sucks.’’
But in his so-called ‘‘crappy life’’, he has
helped save hundreds of lives, including ele-
phants, bulls, tigers, warthogs, barking deer,
boas and gibbons.
Being a wild animal vet is not just about
how to handle wildlife, but also emphasizes
both animal and human safety. Pattarapol has
travelled to remote corners of the country to
monitor the health of domestic animals and
local wildlife. His duties include wildlife disease
diagnosis, prevention and response in 16 con-
servation areas in Thailand, as well as managing
the potential risk of new and emerging diseases
that can pose risks to the health of people and
animals, wildlife conservation and economic
productivity.
It is not all about vaccinating dogs and ban-
daging cats. Rather, a wild animal vet has to
work in the fields of prevention, control and
eradication of diseases and other health prob-
lems in wildlife and people, he explained. Every
species behaves differently, so learning and
understanding a conscientious approach to
handling wildlife is crucial. Loving animals is
not the point, but you have to show care and
respect for the animals you are treating.
Pattarapol said he did not start off as an
animal lover. Being a vet was not a childhood
dream either. ‘‘It’s not in my nature to ‘meow’
at kittens, or pat a dog on the head, you know.
If anyone asks me what I do, I always say I’m
a basketball player. Man, basketball is my pas-
sion,’’ said the 1.86m tall basketball enthusiast.
In his youth, Pattarapol was very different:
He enjoyed fighting, getting drunk and skipping
school. The turning point in his life was when
he decided to study veterinary medicine at
Mahanakorn University of Technology on an
athletics scholarship.
His reasoning was simple: ‘‘Many of my
K
C
M
basketball friends quit playing when they were
Y
E in college. I wanted to prove that academic
and extra-curricular activities like athletes could
go together,’’ he said. ‘‘And I loved the challenge.
I thought studying veterinary medicine must
be really, really difficult and challenging, since
the patients can’t talk. All my friends laughed
at me. But I just went for it. Who cared?’’
During his college days, when he was learning
O2 SOCIETY O4 COMICS AND PUZZLES OUTLOOK Usnisa Sukhsvasti
I N D EX O5 PEOPLE O8 FEATURES CONTACT US EDITOR usnisas@bangkokpost.co.th
TUESDAY, MARCH 4, 2008
how to tend to sick or injured animals, Pat-
tarapol was inspired by the extraordinary dedi-
cation and hard work in the field of wildlife
conservation of Alongkorn Mahannop, a well-
known elephant vet, and Sueb Nakasatian,
the former head of the Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife
Sanctuary, who committed suicide by shooting
himself, focusing public attention to the plight
of Thailand’s forests and wildlife.
‘‘I watched their work on television and it
was like ‘Wow!’, anaesthetising wild animals
and providing them veterinary care were no
easy tasks. I wondered how Alongkorn could
handle such giant creatures. I wondered why
Sueb Nakasatian helped the drowning deer by
himself, with no one to help. I wondered who
those guys were, and I wondered if I could
help with their work,’’ he recalled.
Hailing from Surin, the northeastern province
well-known for its elephants, Pattarapol chose
to spend his internship in elephant camps in
his hometown and other rural areas. Working
in the forest for days, weeks or months was
not easy, he admitted. Years of hard work with
wild animals, however, have taught him to
live a life of service despite the difficulties
involved.
‘‘Elephants often kick me,’’ he laughed. ‘‘I’m
not mad at them, though. I’ve learned that it’s
difficult to tame wild animals ... their instincts
are really strong. But many times I see their
ears flap gently and they let me give them an
injection. I realise that if you do things for
others with good intentions, and with no ex-
pectation of receiving anything in return, things
will run smoothly and easily,’’ he said.
With skill and a lot of experience capturing
and restraining large wild animals, Pattarapol
has worked with elephants and other animals
when they need to be examined or when they
need to be handled. If animals are hurt, he
cleans their wounds, sews them up and gives
antibiotics to help fight off infection.
As well as providing veterinary care for wild
animals, Pattarapol tries to encourage the par-
ticipation of local people in wildlife protection,
spreading knowledge of the human impact on
the environment and promoting the sustainable
use of natural resources.
Burying dead wild animals is always organ-
ised with the participation of local villagers,
he said. ‘‘I want to raise awareness among
local people that the death of wild animals is
a big deal and local people should take re-
sponsibility.
‘‘While healthy ecosystems that support rich
biodiversity are mandatory to ensure the well-
being of present and future generations, the
numbers of wild animals are dwindling quickly
from human actions. An imbalance in the
ecosystem makes it very difficult for wildlife to
survive,’’ he added.
‘‘But it’s necessary that we’re all aware that
these habitats are important to our lives and
communities, so we all have to protect them,’’
he said.
Pattarapol believes that people are no dif-
ferent from other animals in terms of their
basic needs for survival. ‘‘But apparently we
think too highly of our own species and think
that we are better than other living things.
‘‘That’s why animals living in the wild are
always victims of human exploitation ... being
shot or trapped. Some villagers release domestic
farm animals into forest areas in search of
food, and that can lead to the transmission of
disease from livestock to wildlife, and potentially
from animals to humans,’’ he said.
‘‘It’s a wildlife vet’s responsibility to prevent
and improve responses to diseases that may
threaten or impact wildlife, agriculture and
human health in the future.’’
When Pattarapol is not handling and caring
for wild animals, he gives courses on how to
handle them for veterinary students at many
local universities, and he is looking forward to
seeing a new generation of wild animal vets.
‘‘Even if I successfully treat a wounded deer
or a sick elephant, my work is not done. I want
to make this profession easy for a new gener-
ation of vets. To be the only one carrying a
medicine kit, for me, is not cool. It’s better to
work as a team, so you can have time to ap-
preciate wildlife and enjoy the mountains.
And if you’re not working alone, it means that
more sick animals can be saved.’’
OUTLOOK phone: 02-240-3700 ext 3212
DESK fax: 02-240-3668