Experimental Biological Clinic

The structure of the division includes 3 sectors: "Wild Animal Rehabilitation Center", "Zoo Corner" and "Sector of maintenance and reproduction of laboratory and feed animals". Ekaterina Alekseevna Lukbanova, head of the department, zoologist, veterinarian, Candidate of Biological Sciences, Anna Gabrovna Sinitskaya, a zoo technician with more than 40 years of experience in zoos, 2 veterinarians, 1 laboratory assistant, 2 veterinary orderlies work in the department. Many students studying at the faculty of BioWetMed, in their free time, are happy to participate in organizing various events and performing routine work as volunteers. The main task of the Wild Animal Rehabilitation Center sector is the rescue, rehabilitation and temporary maintenance of wild animals with subsequent release into the wild. In 2023, the unit rehabilitated 656 bats (567 red-haired evening owls, 145 Kul bats, 23 bicolor kozhans and 15 late kozhans), 1 house owl, 1 long-eared owl, 1 common quail and 12 swifts. In 2024, the Wild Animal Rehabilitation Center is rehabilitating 230 bats (150 red evening bats, 23 Kul bats, 14 bicolor kozhans and 13 late kozhans) and 1 pigeon owl, who was admitted with an open fracture of the humerus and is undergoing treatment after surgery. The release of bats in 2024 has been carried out in several stages since mid-April. In addition to the actual rehabilitation of wild animals, educational activities are an important task of the sector. The staff conducts excursions for schoolchildren and guests of DSTU, as well as participates in festivals and conferences. We have successfully implemented a project supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research "Coronaviruses of the synanthropic fauna of Southern Russia and the risk of interspecific transmission of coronavirus infection" (number 20-04-60263, implementation period – 2020-2022). We are currently conducting research on the microbiota of red-headed evening primates within the framework of the Russian National Science Foundation project "Features of the immune system and intestinal microbiota of synanthropic bats as a basis for predicting new infections" (project number 23-14-00316, implementation period – 2023-2025). Studies involving bats conducted from 2020 to the present have been reviewed by the Local Independent Ethics Committee of the Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education "DSTU" and did not involve removal from the wild and euthanasia. The Zoogolok sector contains exotic species of animals such as achatina snails, tilomellania, marisa, woodlice, crayfish, amano shrimp, Annamese stick insects, Madagascar cockroaches, bird-eating spiders, mettinis and comet fish, slingshot frog, spur and dwarf frogs, felsum gecko, banana eater, corn runner, Central Asian tortoise, canaries, budgerigars, zebra finches, common quail, chinchillas, common squirrel. The Zoogolka offers themed excursions for schoolchildren, students and guests of DSTU. The most important task of the sector is to organize the educational process for students of the specialties "Veterinary Medicine" and "Animal Science". Students of the Faculty of BioWetMed at the Zoogolk undergo industrial and scientific practice, master animal fixation techniques, conduct basic routine veterinary activities, and study the rules for keeping and feeding various exotic animals. The "Sector for the maintenance and reproduction of laboratory and feed animals" contains mice, rats, guinea pigs, rabbits, as well as food insects (flour beetle, zofobas, black lion, Turkmen and marble cockroaches, brownie and banana cricket). On the basis of this sector, students and postgraduates undergo practical training in animal fixation and drug administration techniques, and complete their final qualification and dissertation work. Fundamental and applied research is also carried out in this department. All research involving laboratory animals is carried out strictly after approval of research plans by the Local Independent Ethical Committee of the Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education "DSTU", guided in its activities by the provisions of the Universal Declaration of Animal Rights, the European Convention for the Protection of Experimental Animals and the Federal Law "On Responsible Treatment of Animals and on Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation" dated December 27, 2018 Federal Law No. 498-FZ.