Vet Tech Appreciation Week

“I love being able to support the zoo’s conservation efforts and make a difference in the lives of all the animals that live here.” – Danielle Painter

Danielle has been a Veterinary Technician for 7 years. She has an Associate’s Degree in Veterinary Technology and Virginia Zoo is her fourth AZA institution that she’s been lucky enough to be a part of. She spent 4 years interning and volunteering at Zoos and Aquariums before she accepted her first full-time position.

Patient Testimonies

“She’s the best trainer a lion could ask for” – Ansel, the lion

“She knows her…. poop. 10/10 would submit another sample” -Dara, the orangutan

“Anytime we do a veterinary procedure on an animal, we have fun! It’s a lot of work but it is also always an amazing experience. No day is exactly the same! One day I could be helping with a physical exam on a porcupine, and the next day a root canal on a lion. It definitely is not a boring job. I love being able to use all of my technical skills. Helping the keepers train their animals for medical behaviors, like allowing voluntary hand-injections and blood collection, is also a very fun and rewarding part of my job.” – Leah Rooker

Patient Testimonies

“Expert quill petter! She never shames me for accidentally sticking her and she hates those silly “protective” gloves as much as I do.” -Dimitri, the sweetest prehensile-tailed porcupine

“Knows how to give those deep eye massages to really relieve stress and help a lizard find his Zen.” -Gary, the red tegu

Leah Rooker, BS, has been a Licensed Veterinary Technician for 29 years. Those years were spent as a Large Animal Veterinary Technician at Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine Veterinary Teaching Hospital at Virginia Tech and 18 years as a Zoo Veterinary Technician at the Virginia Zoo. She has a Associates Degree in Veterinary Technology from Harcum College and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Virginia Tech.