The US Fish and Wildlife Service, Nevada Department of Wildlife, Clark County and Tortoise Group are again sponsoring a 2-day, desert tortoise sterilization clinic and wet lab on JUNE 22 & 23, 2015 at the Oquendo Center in Las Vegas, NV. This workshop is being offered to practitioners of desert tortoises to address the unregulated backyard breeding of desert tortoises and to ensure that all tortoises that are adopted are unable to breed. Registrations will be taken on a first-come, first-served basis with a priority given to veterinarians practicing within the range of the Mojave desert tortoise (Nevada, California, Arizona and Utah). Please submit your request no later than MAY 31, 2016.

Continuing Education Credit: we are currently working with the Nevada Board of Veterinary Medicine to allow participants to obtain Continuing Education Credit for attending. We will provide additional details once we obtain approval for CEC. Full attendance for both days is required to receive CEC. No partial CEC will be offered.

Expand your practice: our intent is that once trained you will be able to offer these sterilization procedures in your clinic. Assessment of general tortoise health, basic medicine, urolithiasis removal, and surgery will also be covered.

Other techniques: observe and perform – phallectomy of male tortoises that has been used in desert tortoises and other tortoise species to prevent males from inseminating females; endoscopy to sex sub-adult tortoises; and anesthetic techniques for tortoises.

Focus on non-endoscopic techniques: it is not necessary to have an endoscope in your practice to safely sterilize female desert tortoises. However, both non-endoscopic assisted ovario-salpingectomy and endoscopic assisted ovariectomy will be taught.

Last year’s participants encouraged to attend: We are encouraging veterinarians and their technicians that attended last year are encouraged to attend again this year as a refresher and opportunity to increase your knowledge and experience with these techniques.

*The draft agenda for the training is detailed below.

A limited number of slots are available for veterinarians and one of their technicians, please reserve your spot by May 31st with an RSVP to Mike Senn, Michael_Senn@fws.gov or (702) 515-5244.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or comments regarding the clinic.

Sterilization Clinic Agenda 2016