Dr. Jay's Dream Project

My husband, Dr. Jay King, has been practicing veterinary medicine in Saint Louis, Missouri, for more than twenty years. Although the clinic he works at deals mainly with dogs and cats, Jay is one of the few vets in the area who also works with exotic critters; it's not unusual for him to see a dozen different species or more in a single day, from rodents to reptiles, marsupials to monkeys!

Jay frequently volunteers his time to treat animals brought to him from a variety of conservation groups around STL, among them, the herpetology society, who brings in turtles and tortoises severely injured by cars, lawn mowers, dogs and humans, which Jay *literally* pieces back together with specialized 'hardware' and glue, birds, raccoon, squirrels, foxes and other wildlife brought in from local park rangers, and yes - stray cats and dogs brought in by several stray rescue societies.

When Jay takes time off for 'vacations,' it always involves some sort of volunteer work for wildlife conservation groups or sanctuaries either local or out of country. Wildlife conservation is Jay's passion, and if he could, he'd be working full time for that cause.

When in Costa Rica, Jay volunteers for several conservation centers, one which cares for critically endangered lizards, snakes, turtles and tortoises, another a rescue facility for primates, yet another which treats and cares for sloths (many of them tiny babies that need constant, round-the-clock care), and still another a macaw sanctuary that survives on donations and volunteers to help care for, raise and release macaws back into the wild. Jay's help and expertise has been gratefully appreciated by these groups, and he longs to be able to work with them on a more regular basis.

Here at home, Jay is known for being an exceptionally caring veterinarian who firmly believes folks shouldn't have to spend a fortune when it comes to treating sick pets. Many, many financially-challenged pet owners in our community have had veterinary care donated by Jay, who still does free house calls almost every night of the week after he leaves work, as well as his days off.

What little money Jay earns from his house calls goes towards a research and conservation project he started a dozen years ago that deals with frogs. Yes. Frogs.
(Red-Eye Tree Frog Painting by me, Teya King)

For years now, Jay has been working with other conservationists and governments of countries such as Costa Rica, Dominica, Guyana among many more, doing research on a deadly fungus called 'chytrid' that has been decimating frog populations worldwide.

Frogs are an extremely reliable harbinger of environmental changes and pollution. Their skin, like ours, can be sensitive to environmental changes - and their skin is permeable, which means it can easily absorb toxic chemicals. Because of this, frogs are especially susceptible to environmental disturbances, making them accurate indicators of environmental stress. The health of frog populations is thought to be indicative of the health of the entire biosphere.

For years now, Jay has financed his own research travel to some of the most remote jungles on earth to find and collect species of frogs who are resistant to the chytrid fungus, and whose skin (peptides, actually) might hold the antimicrobial key to a cure - not just for chytrids, but for human diseases, as well.

The cost of these expeditions has been tremendous, and Jay has found himself dipping into his life savings in order to continue his work. Research grants are hard to come by these days, and let's face it: frogs are not considered to be 'cute' or 'cuddly' by many folks, so trying to raise money for a 'frog cause' would probably be a lesson in frustration.

In 2006, Jay and I purchased a bit of land in the jungle mountains of Costa Rica, just outside of Dominical. Jay's dream - OUR dream - is to use our land to establish a conservation center for rare frogs and other threatened species (tapirs, sloths, rare monkeys & birds), a place where scientists, researchers, students and volunteers could work together to study, learn from and help conserve and protect endangered species - even the 'less-than-cute' ones.
The land is virgin jungle on the top of a steep mountain, and it backs up against a national park, so it's nice and private and protected. There's a creek running through the property that supplies us with fresh water, an incredible variety of plants, and huge boulders like this one near our creek which is the perfect hiding/crawling/hopping/breeding spot for a variety of amphibians.

So, we have the land, but it's just a start. The road is not paved, and very steep and treacherous. There are no buildings on the property, or electricity. There is much to be done, but money is needed.

Jay is a veterinarian in a small practice - not his own - and his volunteer work and generosity towards those pet owners who are unable to pay for vet services have not made him a wealthy man. Unless he wins the lottery or receives donations from folks who see the importance of his research, Jay's dream will not come to fruition.

I wish for my dear hubby to realize his dream. He's done so much for so many people and their pets and has spent hundreds of hours volunteering for many wildlife conservation projects as well as all the work he's accomplished on his own research. My greatest desire is for him to be able to continue his life's passion of wildlife conservation and research and $30,000 would be a tremendous help in our desire to break ground on a project of a lifetime.

Thank you for reading. I hope you can help!