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THE keenest of keen observational skills are essential for those physicians whose patients are unable to tell them where it hurts.

Paediatricians and veterinary surgeons may argue over who faces the bigger challenge in making a diagnosis, but it is the select band of zoo veterinarians who surely have the toughest task.

Their charges are not only unwilling to talk about their clinical symptoms, they will actually change their behaviour if they know they are being watched. Evolutionary pressures force them to hide any signs of frailty from both potential predators and the person with the stethoscope.

That鈥檚 a major reason why progress in zoo animal medicine lagged far behind developments in the care of domesticated species 鈥� and why the approach of the vet was rarely a cause for celebration among zoo keepers.

As Phillip Robinson points out, 鈥淭he first zoo veterinarians often arrived too late for any helpful treatment but too early for the necropsy.鈥�

Things did improve. During his 20 years as head vet at California鈥檚 San Diego zoo, Robinson saw his specialty move forward in leaps and bounds. The development of safe, reliable methods for sedating and anaesthetising such unpredictable and possibly killer patients was a particular boon.

His book Life at the Zoo is more than a personal memoir of an illustrious career, it is a wise and witty reflection on all aspects of zoo life.

Robinson also offers a clear-sighted view of the future of zoological collections, and considers the ethics of keeping wild animals in captivity, as well as the limitations of the role of zoos in helping to preserve viable populations of threatened species.