Georgia Magazine - January 2022 - 30
Georgians AT WORK By Lynn Coulter
Dr. Sarah Miller (at left)
and aquarist Eric Carlson
(right) examine a spotted
eagle ray.
Meet 'wet vet'
Dr. Sarah Miller
I
magine your job is to help deliver a pup from a struggling
mama cownose ray (a type of stingray). On another day, you
might find yourself scanning the belly of an epaulette shark.
" I never really know what's going to happen when I walk
in the door, " says Dr. Sarah Miller, one of the five " wet vets, " or
veterinarians, at Atlanta's Georgia Aquarium.
Miller grew up in Los Angeles and spent her summers surfing,
boogie boarding and camping along the California coast.
She was always fascinated by the ocean.
" I'm passionate about wanting to protect it, " she says.
" I love diversity, but the spotted eagle rays have a special
place in my heart, " she says. As a veterinary student, she
hand-fed little clams to these medium-sized brown rays with
white spots. " I think they're the most beautiful animals in the
aquarium. "
The rays live in the aquarium's Ocean Voyager exhibit,
where visitors can see them but not feed or touch them. Their
tails, which are trimmed, still have potentially harmful barbs.
" Dolphins are some of the best [to work with]. Whatever
we need from them-bloodwork, ultrasounds, whatever-they
do voluntarily. They're amazing, happy little animals that do
30 Georgia Magazine January 2022
whatever you ask them to, " she says.
Other creatures aren't as obliging.
" The octopi tend to hide in their enclosures, tucked up in
the corners, and I have to wait for a team member to say, 'He's
out.' Then I drop everything and head over, " Miller says.
Other animals can spit out pills or " get into a tiff and bite
one another, " requiring the help of a vet.
In the penguin enclosure, things can be warmer and fuzzier.
" We just had the penguin chicks' regular exams, " she says,
" and they were absolutely adorable. All the chicks were calling to
me, and when I went in, they all kind of tackled me and crawled
on top of me. They get hand-fed, so they were hungry for fish
and attention. "
Hand-raising young animals, she explains, helps them
bond with the vets and other staff, so it's easier to feel their
bellies, check their feet, give them medications or draw blood.
Miller says her job gives her " an opportunity to be an
ambassador to the public-to teach them about what's in the
ocean, how our actions affect the ocean and how we can do
things differently. "
Lynn Coulter is a freelance writer in metro Atlanta.
Spotted eagle ray
COURTESY GEORGIA AQUARIUM
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Georgia Magazine - January 2022
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - January 2022
Contents
Georgia Magazine - January 2022 - Intro
Georgia Magazine - January 2022 - Cover1
Georgia Magazine - January 2022 - Cover2
Georgia Magazine - January 2022 - Contents
Georgia Magazine - January 2022 - 4
Georgia Magazine - January 2022 - 5
Georgia Magazine - January 2022 - 6
Georgia Magazine - January 2022 - 7
Georgia Magazine - January 2022 - 8
Georgia Magazine - January 2022 - 9
Georgia Magazine - January 2022 - 10
Georgia Magazine - January 2022 - 11
Georgia Magazine - January 2022 - 12
Georgia Magazine - January 2022 - 13
Georgia Magazine - January 2022 - 14
Georgia Magazine - January 2022 - 15
Georgia Magazine - January 2022 - 16
Georgia Magazine - January 2022 - 17
Georgia Magazine - January 2022 - 18
Georgia Magazine - January 2022 - 19
Georgia Magazine - January 2022 - 20
Georgia Magazine - January 2022 - 21
Georgia Magazine - January 2022 - 22
Georgia Magazine - January 2022 - 22A
Georgia Magazine - January 2022 - 22B
Georgia Magazine - January 2022 - 22C
Georgia Magazine - January 2022 - 22D
Georgia Magazine - January 2022 - 23
Georgia Magazine - January 2022 - 24
Georgia Magazine - January 2022 - 25
Georgia Magazine - January 2022 - 26
Georgia Magazine - January 2022 - 27
Georgia Magazine - January 2022 - 28
Georgia Magazine - January 2022 - 29
Georgia Magazine - January 2022 - 30
Georgia Magazine - January 2022 - 31
Georgia Magazine - January 2022 - 32
Georgia Magazine - January 2022 - 33
Georgia Magazine - January 2022 - 34
Georgia Magazine - January 2022 - 35
Georgia Magazine - January 2022 - 36
Georgia Magazine - January 2022 - 37
Georgia Magazine - January 2022 - 38
Georgia Magazine - January 2022 - 39
Georgia Magazine - January 2022 - 40
Georgia Magazine - January 2022 - 41
Georgia Magazine - January 2022 - 42
Georgia Magazine - January 2022 - Cover3
Georgia Magazine - January 2022 - Cover4
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