06/18/2026
We're going wild for our expert vet care team for Veterinary Appreciation Day! 🦁
We are incredibly grateful for our expert veterinary team here at the OKC Zoo. Their dedication to keeping our animals healthy and providing expert care inspires us on a daily basis. With a combined experience of over 89 years coming from the staff inside the Joan Kirkpatrick Animal Hospital, we can confidently say our animals are receiving the best care from the best team.
"Zoo veterinary medicine has several professional options, including being a veterinarian, a veterinary technician, and a veterinary assistant," said Dr. Gretchen Cole, Director of Veterinary Services. "All are critically important to the care of animals and require specific skills. For all positions, it is important to get experience working with animals in a variety of veterinary settings, as our work combines the skills of those that work with traditional animals such as dogs, cats, cows, and horses, with so much more."
Zoological medicine encompasses a wide range of animals, working with species as small as a hissing cockroach to as large as an Asian elephant. In a single day, our veterinary team can provide care to fish, Komodo dragons, gorillas, rhinos, and parrots. But that's not all the team does! They also participate in research and conservation projects, assist with pest control policies, provide expertise when designing new habitats, and collaborating with the commissary team to ensure animals maintain a healthy body weight. Our team goes beyond the scope to provide expert care and advice for all walks of wildlife.
"It's truly the most diverse job in veterinary medicine," shared Dr. Cole. "And having the opportunity to do neonatal exams on some of the most adorable animals in the world is a nice job perk!"
Stop by the OKC Zoo and hear from our experienced vet care team in person! Vet Talks happen daily at 11:30 a.m. at the Joan Kirkpatrick Animal Hospital. Learn more about our animal family and purchase tickets 🎟️ today at www.okczoo.org/tickets