Whether you loved Barbaro or loved to hate him, one fact was undeniable: The veterinarians who treated him over the past eight months made groundbreaking advances in veterinary technology.
Despite their best efforts, Barbaro's owners decided this week to put him down, after his condition took an irreparable turn for the worst.
But in the eight months that Barbaro was at the George D. Widener Hospital for Large Animals at the New Bolton Center - part of Penn's School for Veterinary Medicine - its researchers and staff prolonged the life of a horse that, under most circumstances, would have been put down immediately after the accident.
While naysayers have criticized the tremendous outpouring of support for Barbaro, the public's love affair with this horse gave New Bolton Center researchers the opportunity and resources to push the envelope. Their work with Barbaro has resulted in new technology that has the potential to help farmers and those who work with animals around the world.
The New Bolton Center supports a number of programs that assist local Pennsylvanian farmers, and the School of Veterinary Medicine runs a variety of animal treatment research and protection efforts. The media blitz surrounding Barbaro has undoubtedly raised the profile of all these efforts.
The Penn community owes a great deal of thanks to New Bolton Center researchers for adding a gold star to the Penn name, especially considering much of the negative publicity that has surrounded campus this semester.
Not everyone will miss Barbaro, but they can at least appreciate his legacy in the field of veterinary research.
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