Dr. William J. Boever was named Director and Chief Operating Officer of the St. Louis Zoo in April, 2002. He had been Assistant Director of the Zoo since 1996. Boever joined the St. Louis Zoo staff in 1970 as the first full-time staff veterinarian. He received his D.V.M. from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1970. He went on to become Director of Research and Senior Staff Veterinarian until 1993, when he was promoted to Director of Zoological Operations. During his career in St. Louis, he established the first veterinary residency in Zoo Animal Medicine, a specialized field. He also developed broad-based scientific research at the Zoo and initiated conservation programs. He created a tissue bank of 20,000 samples, representing nearly 1,000 species, and a serum bank of 4,500 samples from 300 species, made available to research scientists around the world. Dr. Boever was instrumental in the design and implementation of an Endangered Species Research Center & Veterinary Hospital opened in 1993. The hospital has a central treatment area, radiology suite, surgery suite, pharmacy and quarantine area. Laboratories are equipped for hormone assays, animal behavior projects, radio-telemetry, semen analysis, cryopreservation of semen and embryos, and gamete research. The labs are also used for hematology, parasitology, bacteriology, and nutrition studies. Dr. Boever is on the Board of Directors of the American Association of Zoos and Aquariums. He is also Chairperson of the Scientific Council for AZA's Elephant Species Survival Plan. In addition, he is Director and Major Advisor for the Veterinary Residency in Zoo Animal Medicine, a cooperative program of the college of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Missouri and the Saint Louis Zoo to provide training in the clinical specialty of zoo animal medicine for veterinarians. He is past President of the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians and a reviewer for the American Veterinary Medical Association Journal and Journal for Zoo Animal Medicine. Boever's research interests include reproduction, anesthesia and clinical medicine with free-ranging and captive wildlife. Among his many honors are Veterinarian of the Year - State of Missouri in 1983 and Charter Diplomat, American College of Zoological Medicine, 1984.
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