Career：Vet

[2020.04.22] 發表

【明報專訊】What does a veterinarian do?

Veterinarians examine, treat, and vaccinate animals. They work in private clinics, conduct research in laboratories or are stationed in hospitals. Some vets specialize in curing home pets, while others focus on curing exotic animals. As people are becoming more and more conscious of their pets' health, demand for veterinary services has been rising over the years. Do you have a pet at home? Have you ever brought your pet to a vet?

How can I become a vet?

Back in the old days, there were no local universities offering veterinary medicine programs. Meanwhile, the law has always required vet surgeons to obtain qualifications and register to the Board before they can practice veterinary in Hong Kong. Therefore, people who wished to be a vet in Hong Kong had to study overseas. However, a local university has opened a new course in recent years. We can probably see vets in Hong Kong who graduated locally.

Is selling fishes in bags cruel?

If we walk on Tung Choi Street North – known as the Goldfish Market (金魚街)– we can see plenty of shops selling a large variety of fish, ranging from low-priced ones to scarce tropical species. Some of the fish are temporarily stored in a plastic bag. This practice is often criticized as cruel. Do you agree? An Australian fish vet visited the market and here is what he thought about it. (photo.1)

■Gear up

According to the video, answer the following questions.

(1) He was invited by the government and the University of Hong Kong to conduct research on goldfish.

( True / False / Not Given )

(2) Painted fish is banned in many countries.

( True / False / Not Given )

(3) Isolating fish could prevent the transmission of diseases.

( True / False / Not Given )

(Answers on next text)

■Glossary

examine (v) 檢查

vaccinate (v) 給……接種疫苗