Dr. Doug Ray is a graduate of NC State School of Veterinary Medicine, and is currently practicing at Mountain View Veterinary Services in Pennsylvania. He has been a Conservators' Center volunteer since 2000, and a board member since 2003. Dr. Ray participated in many aspects of the Center's development, including building habitats, helping with our 2002 relocation to Caswell County, assisting with big cat rescues, and almost every major veterinary procedure until he moved out of state. Fortunately for us, he has family in the area and returns several times a year, often spending half of his family vacation assisting us with big cat sedations or booster shots.

Dr. Gregg Jordan of the Animal Hospital of Mebane has been our veterinarian of record since 2009. Dr. Jordan has been very generous with his time and hospital facilities, sometimes working through lunch or staying late to help us deal with more critical cases. He is always interested in learning more about wildlife, and has never been too hasty in making decisions he feels he needs to research first. We knew we had found the right veterinarian for us when he was excited to examine and help a 23-year-old bobcat that had ingrown claws, a cataract, malformed ears, and possible kidney failure. Dr. Jordan comes to the Center for bi-annual inspections, and for evaluations or procedures whenever we need him. The Animal Hospital of Mebane has been voted the #1 veterinary hospital in Mebane for four consecutive years. We are pleased they now have ultrasound and laser therapy technology on site.

Dr. Rebekah Embry Fikes works with Dr. Jordan at the Animal Hospital of Mebane. She was very calm and supportive during an emergency situation we were handling with Dr. Jordan. Afterwards she asked to become involved with the Center. When she helped with her first few lion sedations at our facility, we could see she was hooked. We are delighted to have her on board!

Dr. Wendy Royce runs a mobile spay and neuter program called NC Pet Overpopulation Patrol. Conservators' Center executive director Mindy Stinner worked for Dr. Royce as a tech in the mid 2000s and she enjoyed Dr. Royce's positive attitude and can-do mindset. Dr. Royce has brought her mobile clinic to the Center on several occasions to help provide sedation for minor procedures on animals that were too large to be easily transported off site. She has performed spays, neuters, and vasectomies on several big and small cats, and has provided anesthesia and support for other procedures.

Dr. Dan Johnson of Avian and Exotic Animal has been a wonderful resource for the Center. We met him many years ago, working on animal legislation in NC. Several years ago, he provided emergency care for a bobcat that had been hit by a car. When she healed, he placed Reno Bobcat with us. We were delighted when he was willing to become the veterinarian for our lemurs, as they are a specialty animal to work on. He and his staff, including Dr. Stacey Leonatti, have also assisted us with after-hours emergency care for smaller animals.

Dr. Laureen Bartfield runs the NC Spay Neuter Assistance Program, a mobile spay and neuter clinic. We first met her in 2001 when she agreed to help us spay Hopa Wolf, then a new arrival. Since then she has gamely helped us with many canid issues, including providing booster shots for the wolves, and spaying and neutering the red foxes.

Photo by Abbie Cooke of Chariot Creative

Photo by Beth Lupold

Dr. Ann Brady of the Mebane Veterinary Hospital has been a wonderful resource for our feral and stray animal population. Feral cats are a serious issue in our neighborhood, and stray dogs will pack up and roam the woods. Dr. Brady has been very generous in her assistance with spaying and neutering these animals for adoption by our volunteers and interns. In 2010 a feral cat we had tried to capture had kittens. The kittens promptly moved into Oliver Binturong's enclosure (with Oliver's blessing). The three black kittens must have looked like baby binturongs to him, and he clearly adores them. The girls, now grown, continue to live happily with Oliver. All were spayed by Dr. Brady.