Our Team
Australian Wildlife Hospital
Gail - Hospital Manager
Gail has been involved in hand-rearing and rehabilitating sick and injured Australian wildlife for over three decades. Her experience includes common and southern hairy-nosed wombats, koalas, and many other native species of mammal, bird and reptile. As hospital manager, Gail has developed unique expertise in triage and the emergency care of sick, injured and orphaned wildlife and also critical care of very young pouch marsupials. Gail is personally responsible for countless lives saved and is arguably Australia's best "koala mum".
Being the backbone of The Australian Wildlife Hospital would be contribution enough for most wildlife enthusiasts, but not for this amazing woman. Gail also dedicates much of her personal time to this cause. She is President of Wildcare Australia (since 2000) and has conducted literally hundreds of workshops on wildlife hand-rearing in both NSW and Queensland and is a guest lecturer to veterinary students at the University of Queensland.
Gail has received community recognition for her voluntary work including ‘Best Volunteer Award’ for commitment to the environment - Volunteering Australia (2002); ‘Golden Gecko Award’ for commitment to the environment and wildlife conservation - Gold Coast Hinterland Environmental Council (2003); Australian of the Year nominee (2007).
Gail lives at the Australian Wildlife Hospital and, accordingly, provides around-the-clock care to our many animal patients and is a constant and calming presence in our intensive care unit. For Gail however, her remarkable commitment is borne out of a simple desire to make a difference.
The Australian Wildlife Hospital was the first major project for Wildlife Warriors Worldwide. It was largely through Gail’s drive and effort that the Hospital was established and has now grown to be Australia’s busiest wildlife hospital and later this year is expected to become the largest and busiest in the world. The mission of its staff and volunteers is to rescue, provide world-class care, rehabilitate and release patients back into the wild. Without Gail’s dedication, compassion and vision this would not be possible.
Jon – Senior Veterinarian
Jon has 15 years experience in wildlife medicine and surgery and, together with Gail, was responsible for establishing the Australian Wildlife Hospital. He is dedicating his life to raising the benchmark for wildlife medicine, ethics, management and conservation.
Here at the Australian Wildlife Hospital Jon has led refinements of treatments, as well as surgical innovation. The depth of diagnostics that the Hospital now undertakes, and its specialist expertise, has accelerated the knowledge and learning of a broad circle of wildlife professionals, students and volunteers.
Jon has a special interest in urban wildlife management and conservation. This has led him to recently develop a spotter/catcher program which may be the precursor to a formal code of practice that addresses the welfare and management of wild animals affected by land clearing.
Jon founded Wildcare Australia (Australian Koala Hospital Association Inc) in 1993 and remains the principal consulting veterinarian today. Wildcare Australia is a pre-eminent conservation organization managed by volunteers and it has received a number of prestigious community awards.
Aside from his expertise with native wildlife, Jon also provides contracted veterinary services to our major sponsor, Australia Zoo, which enables him to draw on his knowledge of exotic animals. This was honed during his tenure at Dreamworld (1992-2003).
Jon has participated in many wildlife rescue efforts and led a specialist rescue team in the tsunami-devastated region of Banda Aceh in early 2005. They delivered veterinary treatment for elephants working to recover bodies from the disaster area and also provided humanitarian aid to forest guards affected by the disaster.
In addition, Jon plays a proactive role in pioneering research projects. He holds a doctorate in veterinary pathology and virology – awarded in 2000 for a thesis on the association between leukaemia in the koala and infection with the koala retrovirus. Jon is an ongoing collaborator in projects examining the role of koala retrovirus in koala chlamydiosis. Presently, Jon is supervising a ground-breaking research project designed to investigate the migration patterns of rehabilitated koalas returned to the wild and their ability to establish new home ranges. He is also author of numerous workshops, scientific papers and articles on various aspects of wildlife medicine, care and conservation.
For the team at the Australian Wildlife Hospital, Jon is an inexhaustible source of knowledge and a valued mentor.
Amber - Veterinarian
Amber has had a passion for wildlife for as long as she can remember and dreamed of being a vet. Growing up, she also experienced Australian wildlife through raising injured fruit bats and the occasional possum and wallaby.
Amber’s real experiences with wildlife began five years ago when she travelled to South Africa for a wildlife symposium and game capture course. She loved it so much over there that she returned in the beginning of 2003 to continue her veterinary degree there for the year. That year, Amber was lucky enough to get a job with the DeWildt Cheetah and Wildlife Centre in South Africa. She worked as an assistant handler for one of their ambassador cheetahs and as a tour guide, helped with feeding and also assisted the vet with all sorts of procedures from minor injuries to limb amputations. She also got involved with the African Wild Dogs and Brown Hyena.
After returning to Australia in 2004, Amber completed an externship program with Taronga Zoo for four weeks and in 2005, spent some time with the Australian Wildlife Hospital and met the staff, which Amber says turned out to be the best thing she had done, because this, along with her experiences overseas and in Australia, helped her get to where she is now – an employed vet at the Australian Wildlife Hospital.
Stacey - Veterinarian
Stacey is a casual veterinarian here at the Australian Wildlife Hospital. Stacey’s interest in wildlife began at a very young age, and inspired him to complete his veterinary degree at university.
He has spent the past 14 years in a private practice taking care of stray and orphaned wildlife. He has also worked for private wildlife parks, been involved in captive conservation breeding programs and in assisting government wildlife departments.
Stacey’s area of special interest is avian medicine and he relishes the opportunity to work with and assist the broad range of wildlife species presented at the Australian Wildlife Hospital.
Peter - Veterinarian
Dr Peter joined the team at the Australian Wildlife Hospital in April 2007 and brings with him a wealth of experience, particularly with regard to ungulates and raptors, which hold a special interest for him.
Peter previously worked with the International Zoo Veterinary Group in the United Kingdom, and the Wildlife Protection Office in Dubai and we are delighted to be able to utilise his skills and diverse experience at the Australian Wildlife Hospital.
Vicky - Veterinary Nurse
Nurse Vicky joined our Australian Wildlife Hospital after 10 years as a veterinary nurse in private veterinary practice. Nurse Vicki loves wildlife and, like Gail, has spent many years helping sick and injured wildlife as a volunteer wildlife carer.
She was thrilled to come and work at the Australian Wildlife Hospital, where she can dedicate all of her time to caring exclusively for wildlife and helping our beautiful wild patients on their road to recovery. Vicki looks after the day-to-day care and medication of our patients, and helps Dr Jon with veterinary treatments and procedures.
Pauline - Veterinary Nurse
Pauline is a veterinary nurse who joined the Australian Wildlife Hospital team on a casual basis just after Christmas 2004. She started vet nursing in 1995 and had worked extensively with both domestic and wild animals, and birds in particular.
After working as a volunteer for three months at the Australian Wildlife Hospital the opportunity to join the staff came up.
After living in an area that is known as koala habitat and observing their movements and behaviour, Pauline appreciates how precious koalas are. The opportunity to work with them hands-on is like a dream come true for her.
When Pauline is not hand-raising orphaned wildlife, she is kept very busy raising her own two little humans, and maintaining her own menagerie of animals! She also has a passion for sailing, windsurfing, horseriding and squash.
Jo - Veterinary Nurse
Jo made the move from South Australia in February 2007 to become a part of the Wildlife Warriors team. For the past 5 years she has been working as a veterinary nurse in a small animal practice, in addition to an animal emergency centre. During this time she also completed a Bachelor of Science degree pursuing her interests in zoology and ecology.
One of Jo's greatest achievements was to volunteer at the Hoedspruit Cheetah and Endangered Species Research and Breeding Centre in South Africa. Most of her days were focused on cheetah health checks and feeding, but she was also involved in animal rescues and radio tracking of leopard and jackals.
Jo has also assisted in projects conducting research on the southern hairy-nosed wombat and the Tammar wallaby. She has a huge interest in the conservation of Australian wildlife and is proud to be working in a hospital that is completely devoted to the rescue and rehabilitation of these animals.
Peta - Veterinary Nurse
Peta joined us in June 2007. At university she studied Wildlife Biology and later took up the opportunity to travel to South Africa to visit several wildlife rehabilitation facilities. In Africa she was also able to fulfil her long-time dream of seeing elephants in the wild. She then studied Veterinary Nursing and worked in a domestic practice for four years. Peta’s passion for wildlife rehabilitation grew stronger when she gained a position within the RSCPA’s Wildlife Department, helping to run the Fauna Ward and treating sick, injured and orphaned native wildlife.
Peta has been passionate about wildlife conservation for as long as she can remember and is proud to now be part of such a dedicated and worthy cause.
Caroline - Veterinary Nurse
Caroline completed a Bachelor of Animal Science Degree in the UK before fulfilling an ambition to travel the world. She spent a year in Australia and fell in love with our "native wee beasties".
Four years later she married and immigrated to Australia and began working for the RSPCA in Sydney as a Vet Nurse. Caroline recently moved to Queensland and feels privileged to be part of the Australian Wildlife Hospital team and “making a daily contribution into the preservation and conservation of Australia’s wildlife.”
Erica - Veterinary Nurse
Erica worked as a Veterinary Nurse in general practice for six years before joining us in November 2007.
Erica grew up in a wildlife enriched area and was exposed to a variety of animals during her childhood. She has rescued countless animals from road sides, drain pipes and other interesting situations. During her years in general practice her love for wildlife developed and she knew that wildlife was her true passion.
She travelled to Africa recently and had a wonderful time seeing the continent's native wildlife first-hand in the Okavango Delta, Botswana and Zimbabwe. Erica is passionate about elephants and currently fosters two orphaned baby elephants in Kenya. This trip has underlined her desire to further her education in Australian and African wildlife conservation.
She has wanted to work at the Australian Wildlife Hospital for as long as she can remember and is loving the experience. To work with and be able to help wildlife is a dream come true for Erica who says it is "truly amazing" for her to work up close with such an array of species and help to make a difference. She hopes to become a carer and start rehabilitating sick and injured wildlife in the near future.
Cheryl - Veterinary Nurse/ Animal Assistant
Cheryl was a dedicated volunteer who worked four days a week at the Australian Wildlife Hospital and is now a full-time vet nurse/animal assistant.
Cheryl is responsible for organising the volunteers on a daily basis and making sure all the outside enclosures and areas are kept clean and tidy.
Like everyone else in the Australian Wildlife Hospital, Cheryl assists in veterinary procedures, medicating and making sure the welfare of our patients comes first.
Jennifer - Veterinary Nurse
Jennifer is an accredited veterinary nurse and joined our team in January 2008. She has five years experience in both General Practice and Emergency Critical Care of domestic animals, and volunteered and worked as a casual keeper in Taronga Zoo’s Bird Show for over two years.
Jennifer moved to the Sunshine Coast from Sydney to take up a nursing position at our Hospital and is loving the variety of wild animals that come into our care, as well as exploring the biodiversity that South East Queensland has to offer.
Jennifer is currently studying a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biodiversity and Conservation through Macquarie University, and would like to do further study in Ornithology. It is a dream-come-true for Jennifer to work full-time in wildlife conservation and she is particularly interested in raptor and parrot conservation.
Meagan - Veterinary Nurse
Meagan has been working as a vet nurse for ten years, four of which she was the nursing manager for a busy Sydney-based small animal practice.
Meagan moved to the Sunshine Coast in early 2008 specifically to join the team at the Australian Wildlife Hospital as she felt that her skills learned in private practice could make a difference to helping our native animals.
Meagan is looking forward to furthering her knowledge base with wildlife and, in her spare time, enjoys swimming, reading and practicing the art of taekwondo.
Lee - Trainee Veterinary Nurse
Lee joined us at the Australian Wildlife Hospital as a volunteer in September 2006 and then took on a position as a trainee veterinary nurse in November 2007. She is devoted to all wildlife and is passionate about our sea turtles. Every spare minute that she has she dedicates to learning about the care and rehabilitation of these unique animals.
Lee has spent her life surrounded by animals and began rescuing them from a young age, so being a part of our great team at the Australian Wildlife Hospital is the ultimate for her. As Lee says “Where else can you live the dream?”
Karen - Animal Assistant
Karen commenced employment with the Hospital in December 2006 and works with us on a casual basis whilst juggling full-time employment in the finance and legal industry.
Karen’s dedication to wildlife started over 7 years ago when she joined Wildcare Australia. Since that time Karen has worked alongside Gail on the Wildcare Management Committee. Karen is also the Education Co-ordinator for Wildcare and is proud to be involved with educating volunteer wildlife carers to improve their rehabilitation skills.
Karen has gained a vast amount of experience with providing critical care for sick and injured macropods, koalas, echidnas and bandicoots and is often called upon to care for the Hospital’s critical joeys.
Karen is currently fulfilling her long-time ambition of becoming a certified vet nurse and is currently in the midst of studying to fulfil this goal.
Karen is proud to be a part of the dedicated team at the Australian Wildlife Hospital.
Kathy - Hospital Administrator
Kathy joined the Australian Wildlife Hospital as part of our administration team in August 2007. She had worked for over 17 years for another not-for-profit organisation and feels privileged to now be part of an “awesome and passionate team that all work so well together” caring for injured wildlife and promoting conservation.
Kathy loves animals – pets have always been part of her family - and is looking forward to learning more about wildlife. She enjoys the outdoors and bush walking and often can be found on top of Mt NgunNgun. Her number one life experience so far has been scuba driving and snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef.
Sarah - Administration Officer
Sarah has had a love of all animals since she was a young girl. She volunteered at the hospital for nine months whilst studying wildlife management/marine science and running her own business in the determination to change her career. Sarah was offered a full-time position at the Australian Wildlife Hospital in 2004, so she sold her business and hasn't looked back since. Sarah has also been involved in various wildlife rehabilitation groups.
Over the years, Sarah has travelled extensively overseas, always trying to get to every national park in each new area; she spent four months travelling through Africa with her fiancée, which Sarah says was an experience she will never forget! In her spare time, Sarah enjoys scuba diving, bushwalking, beach-going and socialising.
Julie - Administration Assistant
Julie was born and grew up in Zimbabwe. She has always loved animals and had incredible experiences camping in the bush with elephants rubbing themselves against her tent, and hyenas attacking the eskies!
Julie immigrated to Australia in January 2006 and began teaching, then started volunteering at the Australian Wildlife Hospital in April working at the Reception Desk. In October she was delighted to be offered a part-time position as an Administration Assistant. Julie loves every day that she works here and is constantly amazed at the variety of animals that come in. She uses her experiences when supply-teaching on other days, to educate children about Australian wildlife and their preservation.
Jacquie - Volunteer Co-ordinator/ Receptionist
All her life Jacquie has had a consuming passion for all things animal, so she loves working so closely with Australian wildlife. Jacquie is proud to be a part of an organisation that really makes a difference. Every day brings new patients and new experiences, and even though many situations are extremely challenging, Jacquie says there is no place she'd rather be.
Lisa - Volunteer Co-ordinator
While raising and still raising children, Lisa has realised she'd prefer working 
with animals! Lisa proudly started volunteering at the Australian Wildlife Hospital back in February 2005, and in April 2006 she was offered the position of Volunteer Coordinator. “It was truly a dream come true,” she said.
Lisa has always been interested in animals of any kind and has many pets at home, but it wasn't until she started working here at the Hospital that she realised her true passion was for wildlife. Lisa hopes to learn more about conservation and would love to become a vet nurse in the future. In her spare time, Lisa enjoys taking her family to the beach and going to as many wildlife workshops as she can.
