Heather MacIntosh - Veterinary Nurse, ZSL London Zoo

Heather joined the ZSL veterinary team in September 2012.

"I have always been interested in wildlife and started my varied animal career in the Scottish SPCA wildlife rehabilitation centre before I qualified as a veterinary nurse in 2002. London Zoo, Edinburgh Zoo, a Canadian Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre and a Nigerian Primate Centre have been a few of the places I have had the pleasure of working at before I started back here again at London Zoo in 2012.

My job here is in many ways the same as in general veterinary practice looking after the inpatients (sometimes a little frog and sometimes a gorilla) and supporting the vets with medical procedures by monitoring anaesthetic, taking blood etc.

Presently, I am overseeing the parasite control, which doesn’t sound as awful as you might think. It allows me to get close to all of the different species of animals in the zoo when I medicate them.

I love the amount there is to learn everyday as well as the amazing honour it is to work with all the individual animals and play my part in animal conservation".