Wellington - Angelina Martelli, veterinary nurse
Angelina Martelli is a Veterinary Nurse for Wellington
Zoo.
Get to know more of the vets featured in Wild
Vets by clicking here.
What animals do you work with?
All the Zoo animals and natives that come in for rehab.
Your funniest/most memorable animal story?
Most memorable is releasing a female albatross at Makara Beach; it
was amazing to see her fly away and glide gracefully in the
sky.
What made you want to become a Vet Nurse?
I have always had a love for animals and vet nursing just felt
right for me.
Any memorable stories from the vet clinic?
Taking Cara the chimpanzee for a CT scan to assess for chronic ear
infection, it is a big thing to take such a dangerous animal off
site, while maintaining her at a safe anaesthetic level. It all
went very well and she recovered well from her
anaesthetic.
What animal would you like to have in your
backyard?
Kea's; they are just so cheeky but beautiful.
What animal would you most like to see in the
wild?
Kakapo
Where in the world have you worked and what animals did you
treat there?
I have only worked in New Zealand: mainly with domestic animals
before coming to the Zoo and some work with exotics and
natives.
Which animal do you relate to the most?
Cotton top tamarin
What do you love most about your job?
Releasing animals back into the wild after nursing them back to
health.
What would you change about your job?
Would be nice to do less cleaning.
If you could make one change to help save endangered
animals what would it be?
Put predator proof fences around their habitat.
Advice for future Vet Nurses?
Take every opportunity you can to further your skills, and don't be
afraid to step out of your comfort zone.
Tell us an animal joke:
What do you get if you cross a sheep and a Kangaroo? A wooly
jumper!
