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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING DR. TOM MEEHAN ON HIS RETIREMENT AS VICE PRESIDENT OF VETERINARY SERVICES AT THE CHICAGO ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY
WHEREAS, the Forest Preserves of Cook County Board of Commissioners is pleased to congratulate Dr. Tom Meehan on his retirement as Vice President of Veterinary Services at the Chicago Zoological Society after 30 years; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Meehan has had a monumental impact on the field of Zoological Medicine over the last five decades, and his countless noteworthy contributions have immensely benefited veterinary medicine, animal welfare and conservation efforts locally and globally; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Meehan started his work at Brookfield Zoo in July of 1993 as the Director of Veterinary Services, after having served as a veterinarian at Lincoln Park Zoo; and
WHEREAS, throughout his career, Dr. Meehan has been a voice for free ranging wildlife, tirelessly working to maintain the ability of veterinarians to legally provide the best care possible for wildlife, even when it doesn't fit the traditional domestic animal models of veterinary practice; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Meehan built strong partnerships with regional conservation organizations, including the Forest Preserves of Cook County, working alongside Forest Preserves wildlife biologists to better understand the health of the local environment. These partnerships led to the development of the Illinois Zoological and Wildlife Health Management Residency Program, a first-of-its-kind collaboration between the University of Illinois, Forest Preserves of Cook County, and Brookfield Zoo committed to population health and conservation; and
WHEREAS, before specialized pathology services were available to most zoological institutions, Dr. Meehan worked with pathologists at local and state academic institutions to develop what is now known as the University of Illinois Zoological Pathology Program, one of the first shared zoo and wildlife pathology programs of its kind which has grow...
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