Media Arts Center: Digital Gym Cinema San Diego, CA
Dr. Zarah Hedge
Veterinarian, San Diego Humane Society
Stray— Planet Earth: Animal and human interactions in urban spaces
Program Description
Continuing the Digital Gym Cinema's Science on Screen series examining animal perspectives on film, we will be screening Elizabeth Lo's wonderful documentary Stray as a preface to a post-screening discussion about the overlap between humans and animals in urban spaces. Dr. Zarah Hedge, Chief Medical Officer of the San Diego Humane Society, will present on the topic of sheltering vs. managing free roaming populations and speak to the fact that sheltering is not always in the best interest of an animal, especially one used to living outdoors.
Presented At
Media Arts Center: Digital Gym Cinema San Diego, CA
Film Synopsis
This immersive look at the lives of stray dogs on the streets of Istanbul examines human society through their eyes and ears.
STRAY explores what it means to live as a being without status or security, following three strays as they embark on inconspicuous journeys through Turkish society.
Zeytin, fiercely independent, embarks on adventures through the city at night; Nazar, nurturing and protective, easily befriends the humans around her; while Kartal, a shy puppy living on the outskirts of a construction site, finds companions in the security guards who care for her. The strays’ disparate lives intersect when they each form intimate bonds with a group of young Syrians with whom they share the streets.
Director Elizabeth Lo’s award-winning film is a critical observation of human civilization through the unfamiliar gaze of dogs and a sensory voyage into new ways of seeing.
Banner image courtesy of Magnolia Pictures
About the Speaker
As chief medical officer, Dr. Zarah Hedge oversees a team of 25+ veterinarians who provide lifesaving specialized surgeries, progressive treatments and long-term care and rehabilitation for San Diego Humane Society’s animal patients. The Veterinary Medicine department operates across four shelter locations, providing medical care rarely found in traditional shelter environments. In addition to medical exams, vaccinations, microchipping, diagnostics and other basic care, it provides advanced treatment for infectious diseases, dental and orthopedic surgeries, and more. The team also performs more than 21,000 spay and neuter procedures each year, many at low or no cost.
Certified veterinarians in the field of shelter medicine remain quite limited. Zarah is one of approximately 30 veterinarians in the world who hold the distinction of being certified in shelter medicine by the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners. She has more than a decade of experience and is a graduate of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, where she was also an assistant professor after graduating.