Member spotlight! Brett Gardner

This month we spotlight the work our member Brett Gardner, who won the IAAAM paper award in the Journal of Wildlife Diseases this year! Congratulations Brett!

Brett's paper is “Surveillance for Toxoplasma gondii, Brucella spp., and Chlamydia spp. in Australian Fur Seal (Arctocephalus pusillus doriferus) Abortions” https://meridian.allenpress.com/jwd/article/60/4/860/502634/Surveillance-for-Toxoplasma-gondii-Brucella-spp

Name: Brett Gardner (not the baseball player!)

Institution: One Health Research Group at Melbourne Uni and Werribee Open Range Zoo at Zoos Victoria

Year and type of graduate student program: 2024, PhD                                         

Brett Gardner

What is it that attracted you to your current graduate program and in particular to study in Australia?

When I was still based in South Africa, I loved working with aquatic species. When my partner landed a permanent position in Victoria, I started doing locum work for Zoos Victoria and then heard through the grapevine that Dr. Jasmin Hufschmid (a fellow WDA-A member), who ended up becoming my PhD supervisor had funding available for a master’s project on Australian fur seals. I had really enjoyed working their very close cousins, Cape fur seals, so this was immediately appealing to me. I am not good at sitting still and have always wanted to pursue post-grad studies so it felt very serendipitous that I could end up working on a group of animals I was passionate about. There is also a certain prestige and quality of the research produced by the vet school at Melbourne Uni that was very alluring.

Kalkbay South Africa teaching a colleague anaesthesia and disease sampling in a Cape fur seal

What has attracted you to focus on marine species?

I have always had an interest in aquatic environments despite growing up inland in South Africa. Scientifically, we know comparatively little of marine species. When I started working with aquatic species, I soon realized that a large proportion of my work was pretty novel. I have also been drawn to conservation issues from my earliest childhood. So, combining these interests to work on an understudied aspect of the marine environment in addition to being out in the elements finding ways to make your study work was absolutely appealing and felt meant for me.

Third trimester aborted fetus from an Australian fur seal from Kanowna Island - Australia

How can WDA-A members connect more with these species and ecosystems?

Go out there and connect with your local ocean ecosystem. In Australia, we are truly fortunate that most of the population live in relatively close proximity to the ocean. Being this near to the ocean means we are even more susceptible to changes in it. Choose a beach you frequently walk, a pier you frequently snorkel, a rock pool where your kids play or any part of the marine ecosystem dear to you and become a local custodian. You do not need to watch whales breaching to love the living creatures in the ocean, sometimes even a tiny "by the wind sailor" (a type of hydrozoa - Velella) washed out during a storm can be enough to inspire fascination. If more of us contribute to understanding our personal bits of ocean around us and inspire more people to care about them, the better the chance that we might be able to save our marine ecosystems from collapse.

Brett Gardner setting up for a necropsy of an aborted fur seal pup in the field

What types of day-to-day decisions would be beneficial for marine conservation in Australia?

I am not a big fan of discussing politics, but politics is what will either save or destroy our oceans. Know what and who you are voting for and whether they are notorious for breaking their promises about the environment. The current government just signed off on one of the biggest gas mining projects on the coast of WA and allowed Tasmanian salmon farms a variety of exemptions, circumventing environmental laws. Queensland has just expanded their shark culling program against all the best scientific advice. You can be informed and responsible about your consumption of seafood (if you consume seafood). A very large portion of seafood in Australia originates from destructive fishing methods, often in countries far away. Most definitely, do not purchase farmed Tasmanian salmon. This industry is one of the biggest local threats for marine extinctions in Tasmania, where we stand to lose amazing endemic species such as the Maugean skate and entire ecosystems.

What were some key reflections for you about your work in the wildlife health field in Australasia?

I have only achieved the work I have done because I was fortunate enough to work with other amazing people and colleagues. So much of what we discovered in our research was novel and it makes one realize that if something as charismatic as the Australian fur seal has so much not known about them, in particular their disease ecology, then how much less do we know about cryptic species like the red velvetfish that hide along our great southern reef. By trade I am originally a clinical zoo and wildlife veterinarian with a special interest in anesthesia. Now, I am working in the One Health sphere and learning about epidemiology in the marine environment. We need more people to dedicate part of their time to understanding and conserving this critical ecosystem, even if it is not what you originally studied or worked on.

Brett Gardner above a breeding colony of Australian fur seals on Kanowna Island

How has being involved in the WDA-A section helped you during your program and what advice might you have for prospective graduate students?

Being involved in the WDA-A has connected me with a network of ingenious and passionate minds striving to protect wild places. This community has been extremely supportive and have been a great sounding board upon which to refine ideas. Use the opportunity of the familiarity of the WDA-A events to meet people who can mentor you, inspire you and with whom you can enjoy the work we all do together. The WDA-A is very focused on interdisciplinary collaboration that fosters a One Health approach to wildlife conservation. Our organization has a large veterinary membership and is also strongly focused on terrestrial ecosystems and wildlife. Take the time to join other meetings of like-minded people as a WDA-A member and foster those cross-organizational relationships. A great conference for those interested in the Australian marine ecosystems is AMSA (Australian Marine Sciences Association). Their 2025 conference is in July (https://www.amsa.asn.au/).

What is your favourite non-scientific activity and how do you find time for it?

I find a great peace underwater and absolutely love scuba diving. Even bad weather can still produce a wonderful dive as your world shrinks, your view focuses on the tiny things you can still observe with reduced visibility, and the thoughts in your mind quieten. Sometimes, it is just nice to be underwater and feel the movement of the ocean. I have a very like-minded dive partner and we both love diving, so often you need just a small after-work window to do a night dive or a sneaky morning dive before the day gets going.

Where do you hope to go after completion of your program?

In my dream world I would dedicate 100% of my professional career to marine conservation medicine and research. I would also love to be teaching students as there are very few things as gratifying as seeing your students surpass you in their careers and accomplishments. I am slowly working on it and try to contribute to both Australia where I now live but, also to share the privileges of knowledge and skills I have acquired here, with my colleagues in Southern Africa, a place that is always near in my heart.