David A. Jessup is a wildlife veterinarian who earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology at the University of Washington in 1971. After receiving his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) from Washington State University veterinary school in 1976 and spending ten months in a pathology residency at the University of California-Davis, he was hired by the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) as its first wildlife veterinarian. He served CDFG in various capacities for more than 33 years, the last 15 in Santa Cruz, California, as Senior Wildlife Veterinarian and Supervisor of the Marine Wildlife Veterinary Care and Research Center.
His laboratory in Santa Cruz, California, responds to environmental disasters (such as oil spills and die offs) involving marine mammals and birds, investigates the effects of various forms of pollution, conducts pathology and epidemiology research and service on marine species, cooperates with and provides the biomedical perspective on a variety of environmental and ecological field research efforts, and provides animal care for a limited number of sea otters involved in conservation research. Before he started working on marine species, Dave had developed programmes to address the health and welfare needs of deer, elk, bighorn sheep, pronghorn, bears, cougar, wild turkeys and waterfowl. During his career he took time out to earn a Master's degree in Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine at U.C. Davis and get Board certified in Zoological Medicine. He retired from CDFG in November 2010 and was hired as the Executive Manager of the Wildlife Disease Association (WDA), an international non-profit scientific organization.
From the guide to the David A. Jessup Papers, 1890-2001, (Special Collections Research Center)
