Horizon oil spill that began on April 20, 2010. (4) According to the Department of the Interior, wildlife disease expertise and resources are critical to protecting both human and animal life. (5) Wildlife veterinarians have been actively involved in preventing, detecting, and responding to such important exotic, dangerous, and zoonotic diseases as anthrax, avian influenza, brucellosis, tuberculosis, West Nile virus, SARS, chronic wasting disease, and foot and mouth disease. (6) Globalization, climate change, and wildlife habitat loss and alteration, along with a growing interface among humans, livestock, and wildlife have increased the threat posed by emerging infectious diseases to humans, domestic animals, and wildlife. (7) According to the February 2009 report by the Government Accountability Office entitled Veterinarian Workforce: Actions Are Needed to Ensure Sufficient Capacity for Protecting Public and Animal Health , the Nation is facing a growing shortage of veterinarians, and the Federal Government may not have the necessary veterinarian workforce to control pandemic and large-scale outbreaks of disease. (8) There is a shortage of positions for wildlife and zoological veterinarians at the State, Federal, nonprofit, and university levels due to inadequate funding. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association ( AVMA ), less than one percent of AVMA members identify themselves as wildlife or zoological veterinarians. (9) According to the AVMA, a growing number of students enter veterinary schools with an interest in wildlife or zoological veterinary medicine, but choose different fields of study and practice due to the small number of positions available for wildlife and zoological veterinarians upon graduation. (10) Veterinary students face large educational debt upon graduation. According to the AVMA, graduating student loan debt averaged $151,672 in 2012, a 6.4 percent increase from 2011. (11) According to the American Association of Wildlife Veterinarians ( AAWV ) and National Association