Wellington - Joannah Wisker, veterinary nurse
Joannah Wisker is a Veterinary Nurse at Wellington
Zoo
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Vets by clicking here.
What animals do you work with?
All Zoo animals and any native patients brought in by the
public.
Your funniest/most memorable animal story?
One of our pelicans had a broken toe and needed to be amputated.
This was fine, but going to get the pelican was a different matter
all together. It lived in the moat around Monkey Island, which was
filthy and rather slippery. It was also rather large, which made it
easier for the bird to get away from us. So it was all hands on
deck to catch the pelican, including myself who got the plum job of
wading through the moat to entice her to get on land for the
keepers to grab. All went well. I got a bit wet but that is part of
the job. Our second challenge was getting her to sleep. With birds
we normally mask them down with gas anesthesia, but our normal mask
didn't do the job for a pelican beak. Kiwi ingenuity - as well as
some plumbing tubing and duct tape - saved the day. She slept like
a charm and the toe was successfully removed.
What made you want to become a Vet Nurse?
Since I was young I always wanted to work with animals,
and then as I got older I developed an interest in nursing.
Having the ability to help an animal and see it recover is a
special thing to do.
Any memorable stories from the vet clinic?
Several stories from the clinic. One was when we had a chimpanzee
who had a bit of a nasty cough, which had been going on and off for
a wee while. We decided to anaesthetize him and take x-rays of the
chest to see if they were all clear. Working with even asleep
chimps is a bit nerve racking, and during his procedure he
attempted to wake up. We all prepare for such events and he was
given more anesthesia and went to sleep and woke up absolutely
fine.
What animal would you like to have in your
backyard?
In the backyard perhaps a kangaroo to keep he grass short
What animal would you most like to see in the
wild?
African wild dogs and polar bears
Where in the world have you worked and what animals did you
treat there?
I have only worked in New Zealand, but have travelled and
seen plenty of wildlife without having the opportunity to work with
them.
Which animal do you relate to the most?
Possibly an otter, as I enjoy having fun and eating.
What do you love most about your job?
The variety and being able to work with some amazing
animals
What would you change about your job?
The hardest part is seeing animals not pull through after
treatment and hard work, but unfortunately in most of these cases
you simply can't change that.
If you could make one change to help save endangered
animals what would it be?
Continue to do the work we do here at the Zoo, educating the public
about the importance of these animals and being involved with
various local conservation efforts.
Advice for future Vet Nurses?
It is worth the effort and once qualified keep learning new things
- don't be happy with what you already know.
Tell us an animal joke:
Horse walks in to a bar; bar tender says "why the long face?"
