Thursday, April 19, 2001
The University Daily Kansan
Section A · Page 7
Coral collection donated to office
Environmental studies program reaping benefits
By Andrew Dovies
writer @ kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
University of Kansas students not traveling to exotic locations this summer will still have a chance to learn about the wonders of the undersea world, thanks to Wayne and Kathleen Gillett of McLouth, who donated a collection of coral to the environmental studies program.
Andy Stratman, Wichita senior, checks out the new coral tank at the Environmental Studies office, 517 W. 14th St. The tank and specimens were donated by Katherine and Wayne Gillett, and the office will receive a reception from 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday to donate the tank. Photo by Joshua Richards/KANSAN
Gillett said he and his wife donated the collection because they were getting ready to retire and the collection needed daily care.
"We wanted to make sure it had a good home where it'd be taken care of." he said.
The couple became interested in coral after a snorkeling trip to the Caribbean, and they wanted to give
other people a chance to experience the collection, which they acquired hit by bit from local pet stores.
Stanford Loeb, acting director of the environmental studies program, said the coral would be used as a teaching tool for the department.
Classes would use it to understand how ecosystems work and to learn about different cycles, such as the nitrogen cycle, he said.
The nitrogen cycle involves animal excrement turning to ammonia. The ammonia becomes a nitrate that affects the acidity of the water. Loeb said.
The University's new collection has a soil bed at the bottom of the aquarium that could help maintain the water quality of the tank naturally, but Loeb said the department was not sure whether the soil layer would be effective.
Ryan Singer, Topeka senior and employee at the Jayhawk Tropical Fish store, 844 Illinois, helped set up the collection for the University. He said coral was a popular pet, but it would be unusual to find the kind of
self-sustaining system the University was hoping to create.
Katie Jennings, Jayhawk Tropical Fish store employee, said typically for salt water aquariums, owners needed to change about 20 percent of the water every week, using filtered
water and a salt-water mix.
The tank is being maintained at the Environmental Studies Office, 517 W. 14th St. A reception will be held at the office to dedicate the new collection this Saturday from 10 to 11 a.m.
- Edited by Megan Phelps
Vets face dark side when caring for animals
Euthanasia proves heart-wrenching
By Mike Gilligan and Ryan Malashock Special to the Kansan
Veterinarian George Schreiner remembers the first time he had to euthanize a dog.
"It (the dog) was really sick and there was not much we could do for it." Schreiner said.
But when Schreiner first had to euthanize a healthy animal, it was not as easy.
"I was more angry than anything," Schreiner said. "You get hard after a while, but of course you feel some remorse."
Schreiner works at the Eudora Animal Hospital and the Lawrence Humane Society, where he often euthanizes healthy animals.
space," Schreiner said.
"I sometimes have regrets, especially on young puppies and kitties, because the reason is just for
According to the American Humane Association, more than 15 million cats and dogs will be euthanized this year because they are "unwanted."
"Every animal here has technically been abandoned," said Stacy Hoobler, operations manager at the Lawrence Humane Society. "They have either been dropped off by their owner or are found on the streets."
Hoobler doesn't have the option of abandoning the animals, her job is to hold them as they're put to sleep.
"You can go weeks without crying or getting emotional, then one dog will look at you funny and you will burst out crying." Hoobler said.
Hoboler said everyone who worked at the Lawrence Humane Society dealt with losing animals in different ways.
"Some people want to be there
and happy.'
"Some people want to be there with the dog.I want to remember them alive
Stacy Hoobler
Operations manager at Lawrence
Humane Society
with the dog," Hoobler said. "I want to remember them alive and happy."
Another difficult aspect of Hoobler's job is choosing which animals to euthanize.
"The aggressive ones are the first to go," Hoobler said. "Animals that are ill and aren't getting better are next. The animals that are heartworm-positive are also euthanized."
85 percent adoption rate, which is almost triple most shelters, Hoobler said.
Despite the emotional difficulty of euthanizing the animals, the society is successful with an 80 to
"People will drive their animals to our shelter from Kansas City," Hoobler said. "In Kansas City, the shelters will tell you your dog has three days to find a home, and if it doesn't, it will be killed."
On the other side of the spectrum, some veterinarians refuse to end the lives of healthy animals because they're no longer wanted.
"I won't put healthy animals to sleep," said Bryan Stanccliffe, a veterinarian at the Clinton Parkway Animal Hospital. "They may be healthy from a physical standpoint, but have behavioral problems like biting."
Healthy or not, euthanizing animals is always hard.
"It's always emotional. In many cases the animal has become like part of the family to the owners." Stancliffe said.
- Edited by Jacob Roddy
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