A Wild Wild Vet on TV
Luke Gamble, the star of the show.
Time is a scarce resource, but if you have some spare, why not watch 'The World Wild Vet' on TV this weekend? This Sunday, the forth episode of the series will be aired on Sky 1 at 7.00pm. This series has been following Dorset vet Luke Gamble as he travels the world treating animals in need. Visiting countries as diverse as India, Malawi, Greneda and Mexico to name but a few, the series focuses on Luke attempting to treat any species of animal that needs help – both domestic and wild – in places where they have no one else to turn to, challenging his skills to the limit.
Luke Gamble comments, “It has been a privilege to be a part of this series, to highlight the selfless work of some inspirational people and organisations who championing the cause of animal welfare in often very difficult situations and circumstances.
Throughout the series Luke spends time with different animal charities to join in with their work and help them as best he can. It’s not standard work like he experiences in the UK. He says: “There are always cultural and religious sensitivities that may affect how I can treat an injured animal in any given situation. Cows are scared in India and can’t be euthansed, superstitions in other parts of the world also affected certain ways I could approach things. Often I face very difficult dilemmas in situations where there isn’t always a clear right or wrong answer. In many cases, there are considerations about the effect my treatments might have on the communities where the animals live which has a strong influence on the available options.
In this latest episode, Luke Gamble gets on a horse and rides up into the Mexican mountains with some cowboys to check on their cows, animals which have never seen a vet. After rescuing a donkey stuck in a swamp, Luke then has to race against time to figure out why a farmer’s animals are suddenly dying and try to prevent a complete catastrophe for both the animals and the farmer’s family. After working at a local dog and cat shelter, Luke is then asked to check on some birds of prey before getting a first hand experience of how it really feels to fly like a hawk. (This episode will also be repeated on Wednesday the 24th March at 8.00pm.)
The final in the series will be aired on the same time the following Sunday. In this episode, Luke Gamble travels to Chiang Mai in northern Thailand to assist at a dog shelter that is overwhelmed with animals and is absolutely desperate for veterinary help. He visits a hill tribe village and while helping the locals with their animals he meets a Buddhist monk, living in isolation on the hilltop who rescues injured chickens that have been used for fighting. Luke also goes to see if he can help some elephants that have trodden on some exploding landmines whilst working in the illegal logging camps and meets some very inspiring people who are dedicating their lives to care for these magnificent animals.
A variety of repeats from the rest of the series are also been aired on Sky 1. The second episode can be seen on Sky 1 on Saturday the 20th March at 4.00pm. The second episode was based in Malawi, a country that has hardly any vets. Luke’s first mission here is to see if he can save a starved dog that can hardly walk, which has somehow managed to give birth to a litter of puppies. Emergency surgery is required and the stakes are high as he performs a difficult operation in tough situations. When asked to assist with a general health check-up on a leopard, Luke discovers the difficulties of anaesthetising a notoriously dangerous wild animal and he also travels to a national park where he goes tracking in the bush and gets introduced to a troop of over familiar baboons!
With Strangles Awareness Week just around the corner (5-11 May), vets are being encouraged to share a survey about the disease with their horse-owning clients.
