This piece comes to us from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). To honor Women’s History Month, WCS and Nature are sharing stories of nature and conservation.
Fennec fox recovering from surgery. Photo credit: Rachel Herdman, LVT ©️WCS
Life as Licensed Veterinary Technician (LVT) at a zoo is equal parts extreme joy, focus, boredom, panic and exhaustion. It is certainly not for everyone, but I enjoy every minute. The opportunity to work with the incredible animals at the Bronx Zoo and use that knowledge to help conserve their wildlife counterparts has been incredibly rewarding.
I have been very fortunate to have several amazing people who both paved the way and supported me on the wild and beautiful journey that brought me to this point in my career. My mother was my first big champion. As a kid, I had a profound love of the natural world alongside a ceaseless fascination for medicine. Growing up as latchkey kids in Yonkers, New York, my brother and I spent a lot of time indoors as our mother worked long days to support us.
In my early years, much of my experience with wildlife animals, science, and technology was through books and nature shows on networks like PBS, TBS, and TLC. My mother was endlessly supportive of my interests, which resulted in extensive rock collections, an earthworm farm, a fish tank, and eventually a couple of hamsters, even though our apartment complex had a strict “no pet” policy.
Fluid administration to an Ethiopian pit viper. Photo credit: Cheryl Stout, DVM ©️WCS
I have always felt a need to help and advocate for people and animals who were not able to help themselves. During high school I was able to volunteer at a senior living facility and discovered that I enjoyed taking care of elderly and disabled people. I decided to major in biology in undergrad with the intention of becoming a nurse and subsequently worked part-time as a surgical assistant at an outpatient surgical office.
While working with actual patients was a great experience, I still felt something was missing. I started thinking about how I never tried working with animals and couldn’t help but wonder, “What if I am missing out on something great?” So I began looking for volunteer opportunities. Word-of-mouth led me to the New York Aquarium and just like that, my trajectory was changed.
I started volunteering at the New York Aquarium as an LVT assistant and quickly fell in love with veterinary medicine. Under the mentorship of the vet team and curator at the aquarium I decided to pursue a career in this field.
Snow leopard anesthetized radiographs and exam. Photo credit: Priscilla Perez, LVT ©️WCS
Shortly after getting my license while working part-time at the aquarium, superstorm Sandy ripped through the park, destroying several exhibits and devastating the life support systems. After helping the facility through a rough recovery, I went on to work full-time at the Animal Medical Center, a renowned specialty animal hospital that has been a fixture in New York City for over 100 years. For three years I worked in surgery and diagnostic imaging (CT and MRI), learning invaluable skills that would set me up for success in my return to wildlife medicine.
As a new exhibit at the New York Aquarium called “Ocean Wonders Sharks” moved toward completion, an additional LVT position was created. I was able to return to the place that inspired me to pursue my field.
While there, I had the amazing opportunity to help on several conservation efforts, including annual pre-release health exams on hatchlings for the Grand Cayman Blue Iguana Program in Grand Cayman, sample collection and tagging local sand tiger and nurse sharks with the WCS Ocean Giants team, and a trip out to an OCEARCH research ship in the Atlantic to bring supplies for their great white shark conservation efforts.
Little blue penguin awaits radiographs and gait assessment. Photo credit: Olivia Berkner, LVT ©️WCS
A few years later I transferred to the Bronx Zoo. It was difficult to leave my foundations at the aquarium, but I felt it was a necessary transition to continue growing my skills. Joining the health team in the Bronx has been a cherished chapter in my story.
The incredible staff at the Bronx Zoo are knowledgeable and dedicated to the animals in their care and are a daily inspiration for me. I have been able to continue to work on diverse wildlife conservation efforts that range from health exams of local bog turtles to a month-long trip to perform health exams on radiated tortoises in Madagascar.
Catheter placement on a tiger for anesthetized radiographs and exam (left to right: LVTs Lisa Starr, Priscilla Perez, and Dalia Ferguson). Photo credit: Benjamin Maher, LVT ©️WCS
As a young woman I always dreamed of working with wildlife and travelling the world, but I did not believe it was a possibility simply because there were never any women of color on nature shows at that time. I think that it is an incredible thing I ended up where my younger self never thought she would belong.
I am grateful for all I have learned and experienced, and I continue to expand our LVT student extern program in hopes of inspiring future veterinary professionals to explore their interests in wildlife medicine and conservation. One thing I know for certain: great opportunities will always await those who are searching for great things.