WHEN I asked Dr. Mark Hedberg how long he has been in Jeddah, his reply took me by surprise. “I was born in 1980 in the US but have been in Saudi Arabia about 24 years now. My Dad is an English teacher and he came to Al-Khobar in 1983 on a two-year contract. We are having dinner together in Jeddah on Thursday – so somebody forgot to go home!” The family were in Al-Khobar until 1990 but with the onset of Operation Desert Shield, followed by Desert Storm and the war with Iraq, they moved to Jeddah. Hedberg had an unusual education in that he and his sister were home-schooled by their Hungarian mother up to university entrance level. Then, after qualifying as a vet at St. Stephen's University in Budapest, Hungary, he married Vera, and they returned to Jeddah. “The work here is a challenge. I used to volunteer at the vet clinic where I now work. We see a great variety of patients, although mostly dogs and cats. Despite the fact that Saudi Arabia is a signatory to the CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) treaties, exotic animals are also very much part of the practice.” Exotic animals that he has treated include cheetahs, a lion cub, a two-year-old crocodile, an elephant and a tiger shark. A large percentage of his patients are African Grey Parrots, which are popular pets in Jeddah. Knowing that our own cat is an uncooperative patient, I asked him how he dealt with them. He showed me scars on his hands, arms and legs from such creatures. “I am still trying to figure out how to deal with them, and when I have the answer I will let you know! African Grey Parrots have very sharp beaks and with them you need a thick towel. You wrap them up like a little “shwarma” and then you unwrap the section that you need to treat.” He explained that 90 percent of these parrots have vitamin and mineral deficiencies as a result of poor diet and they get huge abscesses around their eyes. “They end up with low immune systems so they get flu and diarrhea. They need a great variety of seeds, plus any kind of fruit or vegetable. Giving them hot peppers is a bad idea – some people do this because it makes the bird talk a lot.” We returned to the subject of exotic animals, starting with cheetahs. “Well, the friendly ones are nice and what really surprised me is that cheetahs purr – much louder than cats, but it is a very lovely purr. We do some vaccinations; we have stitched up some minor fighting wounds because cheetahs – despite what some owners think – are wild animals.” Hedberg went on to talk about the lion cubs. “Yes, they are cuddly and cute and lovable. But their adult size is not! They become huge. People get them when they are small and then are surprised at how big they grow and get upset when the animal gets angry and scratches. I have never treated a fully grown lion.” His experience with a visit to a private zoo on the old Makkah Road to see an elephant was interesting but unsuccessful. “The handlers for these elephants were not properly trained. They were given food to give to the elephants and, to be able to get it into the enclosure, the keepers would throw small pebbles at the elephants to make them move away. Somehow, there were bigger rocks inside the enclosure – (with his hands he demonstrated a size a little smaller than a football) – and the elephants had learned to pick up the rocks and throw them at people. They threw some at me. They missed – but it was terrifying.” As the interview continued, it became apparent that a career as a vet in Jeddah is stressful and demanding with little time off. The hours are long with split shifts extending late into the evening, including Thursdays, eating heavily into social time and events in the expatriate community.
