Ngo-2018, iTexas Tech University yasungula iKolishi le-Udokotela wezilwaneImithi izokhonza imiphakathi yasemakhaya neyesifunda eTexas naseNew Mexico ngezinsizakalo zezilwane ezinganakekelwa kahle.
NgaleliSonto, abafundi abangu-61 bonyaka wokuqala bazothola iziqu zokuqala zobuDokotela bezokwelapha zezilwane ezake zanikezwa yiTexas Tech University, kanti amaphesenti angu-95 abo azoqhubeka nokuphothula ukuze agcwalise leso sidingo. Eqinisweni, cishe ingxenye yabaphothule baye emisebenzini yokugcwalisa ukushoda kodokotela bezilwane entshonalanga ye-Interstate 35.
“Kubaluleke kakhulu ukuthi laba bafundi basebenze endaweni lapho kunesidingo eside semithi yezilwane,” kusho uDkt. Britt Conklin, iphini likadeshi lezinhlelo zemitholampilo. “Lokho kuyanelisa kakhulu kunabafundi abakhiqiza ngobuningi emgqeni wokuhlanganisa. Sibeka laba bafundi ezikhundleni lapho bedingeka khona.”
UConklin wahola ithimba lokuthuthukisa unyaka wezokwelapha ohlukile esibhedlela sokufundisa sendabuko esisetshenziswa ezinye izikole zezilwane. Kusukela ngoMeyi 2024, abafundi bazoqeda ama-internship ayi-10 amasonto amane phakathi kwabalingani be-internship abangaphezu kuka-125 kulo lonke elaseTexas naseNew Mexico.
Ngenxa yalokho, cishe ama-70% abafundi abaphothule iziqu baqashwa ngabalingani babo abasebenzayo futhi baxoxisana ngomholo ophezulu ngosuku lwabo lokuqala lokusebenza.
“Bazokwengeza inani ngokushesha okukhulu, ngakho-ke ngiyajabula kakhulu ukubona ukuthi baphathwa kahle kakhulu enqubweni yokuqasha nokukhushulwa esikhundleni,” kusho uConklin. “Amakhono okuxhumana nawobungcweti abo bonke abafundi adlule kakhulu okulindelwe. Abalingani bethu bokuqeqeshwa bebefuna izinhlobo ezahlukene zemikhiqizo, futhi yilokho kanye esikunikezayo — ikakhulukazi emiphakathini yasemakhaya neyesifunda. Impendulo yabo ibe nomdlandla omkhulu, futhi banethemba lokubona imikhiqizo eminingi efana nale njengoba siqhubeka nokuthuthuka.”
U-Elizabeth Peterson uzosebenza eHereford Veterinary Clinic, ayichaze njengendawo “efanele” labo abafuna ukusebenza kwezokwelapha zezilwane.
“Umgomo wami njengodokotela wezilwane ukukhombisa yonke imikhakha yemboni ukuthi singasebenzisana kanjani ngoba sonke sinomgomo ofanayo,” kusho yena. “ETexas Panhandle, umhlambi wezinkomo ungaphezu kwabantu, futhi ngithemba ukusebenzisa ulwazi lwami lwangaphambilini embonini yokupakisha inyama yenkomo ukusiza ukuvala igebe phakathi kodokotela bezilwane, abanikazi bezinkomo kanye nabanikazi bezindawo zokudla njengoba ngichitha isikhathi esiningi lapha.”
UPeterson uhlela ukuzibandakanya ocwaningweni ngangokunokwenzeka futhi abambisane ne-Texas Livestock Feeders Association kanye ne-Animal Health Commission. Uzophinde abe ngumeluleki kubafundi bezilwane kanye nomlingani wokusebenza.
Ungomunye wabafundi abaningi bonyaka wesine abanethuba lokusebenzisa i-Hereford Veterinary Hospital's Centre of Excellence for Teaching. Lesi sikhungo sadalelwa ukunikeza abafundi bezilwane bonyaka wesine izibonelo ezingokoqobo zezilwane ezidliwayo ngenkathi besaqondiswa othisha. Ithuba lokufundisa abafundi abanjengoDkt. Peterson lingaba yinto evuzayo kuye.
“Iqiniso lokuthi iTexas Tech yayibeka phambili abafundi ababezobuyisela emphakathini lalilikhulu kakhulu,” kusho yena. “Bakhethe abafundi abanjengami ababezibophezele emigomweni nasezibophweni zabo.”
UDylan Bostic uzoba ngumsizi wezilwane eBeard Navasota Veterinary Hospital eNavasota, eTexas, futhi uzoba nomtholampilo wezilwane oxubile. Ingxenye yeziguli zakhe kwakuyizinja namakati, kanti enye ingxenye yayiyizinkomo, izimvu, izimbuzi nezingulube.
“Kunokuntuleka kodokotela bezilwane emiphakathini yasemakhaya neyesifunda enyakatho yeHouston abangakwazi ukuphatha izilwane zasemapulazini,” esho. “KwaBeard Navasota, sivame ukuphuma siye emapulazini ihora nesigamu ukusuka lapha ukuze sinikeze ukunakekelwa kwezilwane emfuyweni ngoba abekho odokotela bezilwane eduze abangochwepheshe kulezo zinhlobo zezilwane. Ngithemba ukuqhubeka nokusekela le miphakathi.”
Ngesikhathi somsebenzi wakhe wezokwelapha eBeard Navasota Hospital, uBostic wathola ukuthi umsebenzi wakhe awuthandayo kwakuwukuya emapulazini ukuyosiza izinkomo. Akagcini nje ngokwakha ukuxhumana emphakathini, kodwa futhi usiza abafuyi ukuba babe abacabangi abaphumelelayo nabasebenzisa amasu.
“Ukukhulisa izinkomo, kungakhathaliseki ukuthi yindawo yokudla, ukuhlola isizinda, noma ukuhlinzwa kwenkomo, akuwona umsebenzi omuhle kakhulu,” ehleka. “Kodwa-ke, ngumsebenzi ovuzayo kakhulu okunikeza ithuba lokuba yingxenye yomkhakha lapho ungakha khona ubudlelwano nobungane obuzohlala impilo yonke.”
Ukuze afeze iphupho lakhe lobuntwana, uVal Trevino wathola umsebenzi eBorgfield Animal Hospital, umtholampilo omncane wezilwane edolobheni laseSan Antonio. Phakathi nonyaka wakhe wokusebenza kwezokwelapha, wathola ulwazi oluningi olwabeka isisekelo sokunakekelwa kwakhe kwezilwane ezifuywayo esikhathini esizayo ngisho nezilwane ezingavamile.
“E-Gonzales, eTexas, ngisiza ekulawuleni inani lamakati alahlekile ngokuwahlanza nokuwakhipha ezinqeni bese ngiwakhulula emiphakathini yawo,” kusho yena. “Ngakho lokho kube yinto emnandi kakhulu.”
Ngesikhathi eseGonzales, uTrevino wayekhuthele emphakathini, eya emihlanganweni yeLions Club kanye neminye imicimbi. Lokhu kwamnika ithuba lokuzibonela mathupha umthelela ayenethemba lokuwenza ngemva kokuphothula.
“Nomaphi lapho siya khona nodokotela bezilwane, othile uza kithi asixoxele izindaba ngezilwane azisizile kanye nendima ebalulekile eziyidlalayo emphakathini — hhayi nje kwezokwelapha izilwane, kodwa nakwezinye izindawo eziningi,” kusho yena. “Ngakho-ke nginethemba lokuthi ngizoba yingxenye yalokho ngelinye ilanga.”
UPatrick Guerrero uzokwandisa ulwazi lwakhe lwamahhashi namakhono akhe ngokuqeqeshwa okujikelezayo konyaka wonke eSignature Equine eStephenville, eTexas. Ube esehlela ukubuyisela lo msebenzi edolobheni lakubo laseCanutillo, eTexas, bese evula umtholampilo ohambayo.
“Ngesikhathi ngisesikoleni sezilwane, ngaba nesithakazelo esikhulu kwezokwelapha ngezilwane zamahhashi, ikakhulukazi ekwelashweni kwezokwelapha ngezemidlalo/ukuphathwa kokukhubazeka,” uyachaza. “Ngaba umshayeli wemikhumbi osebenza endaweni yase-Amarillo futhi ngaqhubeka nokuthuthukisa amakhono ami ngokuthatha izifundo eziningana zezilwane ngesikhathi sami sokuphumula phakathi nehlobo phakathi kwama-semester.”
UGuerrero ukhumbula ukuthi ngesikhathi eseyingane, udokotela wezilwane ezinkulu oseduze kakhulu wayeseLas Cruces, eNew Mexico, cishe imizuzu engama-40 ukusuka lapho. Uhilelekile ohlelweni lwezinkunzi zezentengiselwano lwe-Future Farmers of America (FFA) futhi wathi izilwane ezinkulu zinobunzima bokufika kudokotela wezilwane, futhi azikho izindawo zokuthutha ezibekiwe zokukhulula izinkomo noma amahhashi.
“Lapho ngiqaphela lokho, ngacabanga, ‘Umphakathi wami udinga usizo ngalokhu, ngakho uma ngingaya esikoleni sokwelapha izilwane, ngingathatha engikufundile ngikubuyisele emphakathini wami nakubantu bakhona,’” uyakhumbula. “Lokho kwaba umgomo wami wokuqala, futhi manje sengisondele ekuwufinyeleleni.”
Chofoza lapha ukuze ufunde kabanzi ngabafundi abangu-61 abazothola iziqu zabo ze-DVM eTexas Tech University, ingxenye yesithathu yabo abafundi besizukulwane sokuqala.
Bazoqopha umlando njengabaphothule bokuqala esikoleni sesibili sezilwane saseTexas, esasungulwa eminyakeni engaphezu kwekhulu edlule futhi singenye yezinhlelo zezokwelapha zezilwane ezingu-35 e-United States.
Umcimbi wokuthweswa iziqu uzoba ngeSonto, mhla ziyi-18 kuNhlaba, ngo-11:30 ekuseni e-Amarillo Civic Center Conference Room. Abangani nomndeni bazobe bekhona ukuzolalela izikhulumi ezimenyiwe, okuhlanganisa noDean Guy Loneragan waseKolishi Lezokwelapha Kwezilwane, uMongameli weTexas Tech University uLawrence Schovanec, uShansela Wesistimu yeTexas Tech University uTedd L. Mitchell, uMongameli Wesistimu yeTexas Tech University Emeritus uRobert Duncan, kanye noMbusi waseTexas uGreg Abbott. Abanye abameli bezomthetho besifundazwe nabo bazobe bekhona.
"Sonke sibheke phambili emcimbini wokuqala wokuphothula," kusho uConklin. "Kuzoba yisiphetho sokugcina sikwenze konke futhi, bese singazama futhi."
Isikhathi sokuthunyelwe: Meyi-26-2025