Ben's Fund is very pleased to sponsor our 2008 Veterinary Scholars, Lynsay and Elijah.
(Read below for a brief description of their studies of Sea Lions and Sea Turtles)
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Lynsay Doody
Royal Veterinary College – University of London
Lynsay measured the filtering of calcium and sodium in sea lions affected by leptospirosis. These sea lions have been washing ashore due to this disease. Lynsay examined the kidney damage caused from the disease and how best to get the sea lions healthy and back into the wild.
From Lynsay:
I just wanted to pass on a small note to all of you to show how thankful I am for all of your efforts! I am writing this from England where I live and study veterinary medicine. My ambition is to work with marine mammals and in July last year I was given the amazing opportunity of working with sea lions at The Marine Mammal Center in California. This was a dream come true for me, as I got to work so closely with these animals and conduct a research project to learn more about a disease which commonly affects them. My hope is that the data I found will help us to save sea lions that strand with this disease in the future. I am so glad that Ben’s Fund was able to help me, without you guys I really wouldn’t have been able to do it!!! I have seen all your artwork on the internet and I have to say, I’m very impressed!! I will certainly be placing an order! You’re all very talented and I’m sure Ben would be very proud of you! Thank you to all his friends and family that have made Ben’s Fund what it is, and I hope that I have conducted a project Ben would be proud of.
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Elijah Rooney
University of Florida
Elijah recorded normal blood values of protein and fat in healthy wild green sea turtles whose diet includes plants. She compared the diet of wild green sea turtles to those of hospitalized turtles that are fed fish.
From Elijah:
I would like to thank all of the children for sponsoring my study. You may not know it, but you are doing something wonderful for green sea turtles, and you should all be very proud of yourselves for making a difference. With your art cards, you are saying that you care about Ben, you care about sea turtles, and you care about learning new things about wildlife. I read Ben’s story and it touched my heart. When we care about people and animals we make the world better, even when things are sad or difficult. Thank you for making the world better.
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