Jo – Wildlife Vet and Director
Jo has worked has an MSc in Wild Animal Health and has a Certificate of Advanced Veterinary Practice in Zoological Medicine. She has worked as veterinary officer at Paignton Zoo and Marwell Zoo and is currently a vet for BDMLR.
She has dedicated the past 15 years to working with zoo and wild animals, building a career that combines clinical expertise with a passion for conservation and animal welfare. Over the course of her career, she has cared for remarkable diversity of species. Her experience spans marine mammals, apes, primates, giraffe, rhino, and a wide range of hoof stock. This breadth of exposure has given her unique insights into the challenges and rewards of managing the health of exotic and endangered species in captive environments.
She is now launching WildVet Online. Through lectures covering preventative health, anaesthesia, nutrition, reproductive planning, and emergency protocols, she hopes to inspire and equip veterinary surgeons, nurses, and students to engage confidently with the complexities of zoological practice.
Andres S Brautigam
Dr Bräutigam is a wildlife veterinarian from Costa Rica with over 12 years of experience in husbandry and care of wild and captive sloths. Veterinary supervisor at the Toucan Rescue Ranch, Costa Rica, Andres works with rescue and rehabilitation of two toed sloths in hand rearing programs as well as traumatic injuries in rehabilitation centers He can talk extensively on Sloth Biology and Physiopathology and has a wealth of clinical experience. . He is also an active participant in sloth conferences worldwide like the sloth symposium.
He can be found on Instagram under “The sloth vet” check out his profile here.
Dr Heidi Hargreaves
Dr Heidi Hargreaves Heidi is a veterinary surgeon with a passion for wildlife care and rehabilitation, working at Vale Wildlife Hospital. Her work focuses on treating injured mammals and birds, combining hands-on clinical care with a strong belief in practical, evidence-based medicine.
Alongside her clinical work, Heidi is currently undertaking a Masters in Conservation Medicine at the University of Edinburgh, reflecting her growing interest in the wider connections between wildlife health, ecosystems, and conservation.
She is also an educator and speaker, sharing her knowledge of wildlife medicine. She is passionate about improving standards of care and making wildlife medicine more accessible and less intimidating.
At the heart of everything she does is a simple goal: helping wildlife get a second chance.
Dr Anna Modlinska DVM
Dr Anna Modlinska is a zoological and exotic vet in the UK and worked for three years at Curraghs Wildlife Park. She is also currently undertaking a MSc in Wildlife and Conservation and works on various wildlife volunteer projects. She is now based in Cumbria.
Emma White RVN APVN (Small mammals and wildlife)
Emma White is a UK registered veterinary nurse with a passion for bats. As well as working in a busy veterinary practice she is a Bat Carer and Rehabilitator in Wiltshire. She is also part of the admin for the Bat Nursing Collective on Facebook. She looks after up to a 100 bats in a typical year including rearing many pups.
Her batty social media can be found here
Tawny Kershaw BSc MSc (Conservation) RVN
Tawney has been a qualified veterinary nurse for 10 years. She has worked in all kinds of veterinary practice and has a specialist interest in anaesthesia and exotics. She completed an MSc in Conservation. She now works as a Registered Veterinary Nurse in anaesthesia and cardiology as well as an educational speaker and is owner and founder of The Veterinary Nerd.
Check out her super educational social media account below
Christa Van Wessem DVM MSc CertAVP (ZooMed) MRCVS
Christa is a diverse veterinary surgeon who previously worked as veterinary officer at Paignton Zoo for nine years. She has worked in wildlife rehabilitation both in the UK and abroad. She now works in practice specialising in exotics where she is lead vet. She is the specialist advisor (veterinary) for The Civet Project Foundation. She is veterinary advisor for the Owston Civet EEP and had been on the board of trustees for The Badger Trust.
