U.S. veterinary corps is hiring

Washington

-- The government is hiring veterinarians, veterinary technicians and college students for paid part-time positions in the country’s disaster veterinary corps, said Agricultural Secretary Tom Vilsack.

The part-time appointees in the National Animal Health Emergency Response Corps (NAHERC) will be paid employees of the U.S. Department of Agriculture for up to one year and be called to servce during emergencies involving animals. Tours of duty generally will be three weeks to one month, and assignments can be refused, according to the program’s Web site.

The NAHERC is part of President Obama’s “United We Serve” initiative to increase volunteerism and community service activities.

“The veterinary response corps will allow those in veterinary medicine to assist their country and have a real impact on our communities during an animal-disease outbreak or emergency,” Vilsack said.

As an example of veterinarians pitching in, the NAHERC Web site links to information about veterinarians’ response to the plight of animals in Louisana after Hurricane Katrina.