Dr. Betsy Coville in Myanmar in 2019, attending to elephant Shu Lay Way at Green Hill Valley, a sanctuary that cares for elephants retired from logging camps.
Betsy Coville, D.V.M., (’88) chose a non-traditional career in zoological medicine after earning a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Florida — but things didn’t go exactly according to her plans.
She didn’t foresee her future as a champion for animal welfare, advocacy and activism. She couldn’t have known that it would take her back to the college more than 15 years later for a specialized master’s degree — ultimately supporting its emerging Veterinary Forensic Science program and Adam W. Stern, D.V.M., a professor of forensic pathology.
Launching her career as a veterinarian at Busch Gardens in Tampa, Coville learned a lot about the care of exotic animals, but also saw the downsides of animals in captivity and wanted to find another way to practice animal health. Though she left zoo practice, she has always kept her love for the animals, particularly elephants.
It was during her time at the zoo that she began to take an interest in the benefits of acupuncture. Her border collie, Abbey became seriously ill. After exhausting medications and surgery, Coville turned to a practitioner trained in animal acupuncture and homeopathy simply to try to ease her dog’s chronic pain.
No one was more surprised than she was when Abbey responded not only to pain relief but went on to make a full recovery, living symptom-free for seven more years.
“If you asked people in my graduating class who would be the least likely to practice alternative medicine, they would have picked me,” said Coville.
But that’s exactly what she did. After training in acupuncture, homeopathy, and chiropractic medicine, she started a house-call practice to offer the benefits of holistic medicine. Many pet owners would call her when there was no treatment available, or they couldn’t afford surgery.
In her community, she began lending her veterinary expertise to aid law enforcement charged with investigating cases of animal abuse. That’s when she discovered the UF College of Veterinary Medicine’s online master’s program. In 2015, Coville graduated in the first class of the Master of Science degree with a concentration in Veterinary Forensic Sciences.
“With my master’s training, I started riding with investigators here in Hillsborough County,” said Coville. “As a veterinarian with forensic knowledge, I was able to provide expert testimony for prosecuting animal abuse.”
Her advocacy led her to legislative work such as establishing the first animal abuser registry in the state of Florida in Hillsborough County. Like child offenders, anyone convicted of animal abuse is added to the registry, preventing them from working with or living with animals, Coville said. She also advocates for anti-tethering laws and banning pet sales. As a veterinarian with specialization in forensic sciences, she feels she has a stronger voice to reach state leaders and lawmakers.
Beyond her work in central Florida, Coville also volunteered to promote animal welfare and rescue with agencies worldwide. In 2019, she traveled to Asia to aid in elephant care at a sanctuary in Myanmar just before the impacts of COVID. This was followed by a military coup that still grips the country’s fledgling democracy. Next year, she hopes to travel to India to work with renowned veterinarian Susan Mikota, D.V.M., co-founder of Elephant Care International, training veterinarians in emergency care for elephants.
Crossing Paths and Partnerships
Dr. Adam Stern
It was 2018, when Stern, a veterinary pathology specialist, joined the UF College of Veterinary Medicine to expand the forensic sciences program and strengthen its partnership within the UF Maples Center for Forensic Medicine.
Working collaboratively with Jason H. Byrd, Ph.D., associate director of the William R. Maples Center for Forensic Medicine, Stern runs the college’s forensic necropsy service investigating animal deaths. Most requests come from law enforcement, animal control officers and humane investigators. Providing a vital service, he examines the animal body and case information to try to determine the cause of death. He also works in partnership with an assistant state attorney to help lead a five-county animal cruelty task force in central Florida.
“Ultimately, what I do is educate the jury and the judge so that they can rule on guilt or innocence using the criminal justice system. These cases can go on for a very long time,” said Stern, adding, “Although I’m performing an autopsy today, a year or two later, I’ll be educating the court so that they can make the decision they’ve been tasked to do.”
“The veterinarian is the voice of all animals. My goal is to educate anyone and everyone to do the best job possible and give them the tools to do it,” Stern said.
Besides his clinical service, Stern provides educational support within the College of Veterinary Medicine as well as for his graduate students around the world. Through continuing education and Zoom workshops, he has an even broader educational reach that includes veterinarians and other professionals such as humane investigators, law enforcement, attorneys, and other stakeholders concerned with the humane treatment of animals.
“The work that I do is important throughout the world, and I have been asked to run trainings and seminars in Alaska, Taiwan, Australia, Indonesia and the United Kingdom,” Stern said.
Coville recognized the importance and need for Stern’s forensic services and education not only to the college, but also in fulfilling a need in the community and state. As an alumna and visionary partner, she established a gift to support his broad efforts in the UF Veterinary Forensic program. Through the Camo Fund, named for her beloved rescue pit bull, Coville will match others’ gifts up to $20,000. Her hope is that other alumni who share a concern for animals will consider joining her in supporting Stern’s valuable work and services.
As an area of science that has always been of interest to her, Coville emphasizes how much the master’s in veterinary forensic science has changed her life.
“Retirement is not even an option to me. When people hear I go to court, they think it must be horrible. I always tell them it’s quite the opposite — I love being there as an expert witness so the judge and everyone involved understands the gravity of the crime,” Coville said.
Stern also acknowledges the value of empowering law enforcement and courts with knowledge and tools to identify and prosecute animal abuse. His students from around the country who are involved in cases, contact him for advice on how to work up animal cruelty investigations.
“One thing I would add about the partnership between myself and graduates like Dr. Coville is that these animal cruelty investigations oftentimes can uncover other types of interpersonal violence such as child abuse and domestic violence,” said Stern. “When we hold people accountable for their crimes against animals, we are also protecting future victims of these abusers — people and animals.”
How to give… Gifts of any size are valuable to the education and services the UF Veterinary Forensic Program provides in ameliorating animal abuse. Anyone wishing to contribute to the matching gift can visit https://www.uff.ufl.edu/giving-opportunities/022035-camo-fund/. Or, call the UF Gift Processing office at 1-877-351-2377 and mention Fund Number F022035, Camo Fund.
