Member profile: Dr Leanne Wicker

At the time of the 2019-20 ‘Black Summer’ bushfires, which impacted large swathes of Victoria and other states, Dr Leanne Wicker was the senior veterinarian at Healesville Sanctuary. Having worked as a wildlife veterinarian for many years in both Australia and overseas, her extensive career experience positioned her to play a leading role in coordinating the state’s veterinary response to the wildlife affected by the disaster.

“At the time of the bushfires, we worked with the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning to establish bushfire triage units, and collaborated with the AVA and other partners to identify veterinarians and veterinary nurses who could be trained to assist Zoos Victoria’s veterinary teams to care for burnt wildlife,” explained Dr Wicker.

“One of the things which became increasingly clear during that massive response, was that while there was no shortage of support or people who cared deeply about our wildlife and wanted to pitch in and help, the coordination was perhaps lacking.”

Boosting future wildlife emergency responses

As part of efforts to improve wildlife emergency responses and better manage wildlife health and welfare in Victoria, earlier this year Dr Wicker moved from being a clinical wildlife veterinarian into a more strategic role as the Wildlife Health and Welfare Advisor for Zoos Victoria’s Wildlife Conservation and Science Department.

“Zoos Victoria and RSPCA partnered to address some of the gaps identified through the review of the bushfire response, and this incredible role that I’m now doing, is one of the ways we hope to ensure any future emergency response results in the best outcomes for wildlife health and welfare,” said Dr Wicker.

In a positive outcome from the devastating bushfires, there now exists a cohesive network of people and organisations working together to improve future efforts to respond to wildlife during emergencies, collaboration which Dr Wicker sees as vital for wildlife conservation.

“At the moment, I’m really being able to contribute a veterinary perspective as we develop a more holistic approach to threatened species conservation and wildlife rehabilitation here in Victoria,” said Dr Wicker.

“I’m also on the management committee of Wildlife Health Australia, the coordinating body for wildlife health in Australia, and I’ve recently re-joined the AVA. Last year I took up a position on the AVA Victoria Executive Committee, and I’m also an examiner for the Zoo and Wildlife Chapter of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Science.”

Wildlife roles near and far

After graduating from the University of Sydney in 2003, Dr Wicker’s first veterinary role was as a mixed-animal practitioner in Kingston in Tasmania, with the practice offering an ideal start for a budding wildlife vet.

“In private mixed practice we worked closely with the Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment, providing veterinary assistance for threatened species programs, responding to marine mammal strandings and treating sick and orphaned wildlife in rehabilitation with Hobart’s wildlife care community,” said Dr Wicker.

“Sometimes I feel like I’ve come full circle, as Zoos Victoria contributes to the recovery programs for quite a few of the species I worked with back then, including the Orange-bellied parrot, Tasmanian devil and Swift parrot. Having done quite a bit of work with seals in Tasmania, I was lucky enough to be offered a spot on a research program in Antarctica, and spent an exciting few months in Antarctica, anaesthetising Weddell seals.”

In 2006, Dr Wicker moved to Vietnam to work with small carnivores and pangolins confiscated from the illegal wildlife trade. Her research on the disease issues seen in trade confiscated and captive-born civets in Vietnam formed the basis of a Masters of Veterinary Science thesis, and propelled Dr Wicker into the world of zoonotic disease research, in her role as the veterinary program manager for the Wildlife Conservation Society in Vietnam.

“One of the things I really missed while working in Vietnam was the supportive community of our veterinary profession here in Australia. I joined Zoos Victoria soon after returning to Australia in 2012,” said Dr Wicker.

Not long after her return to Australia, Dr Wicker assisted the Australian Veterinary Conservation Biology special interest group to host an AVA conference field trip at Healesville Sanctuary.

“That event reminded me of that wonderful sense of community and shared experiences, and I was also becoming increasingly aware of how important it is for our profession to have a representative voice in the broader community.”

“As a wildlife vet, I feel an incredible sense of privilege to be working with such a diversity of fascinating species. There is just so little known about so many of the animals we work with, with so much more to learn,” said Dr Wicker.

Take it slow and prioritise wellbeing

In her work at Zoos Victoria, Dr Wicker has had many opportunities to chat with veterinary students about their future careers. 

“The most important piece of advice I could give to anyone entering the vet profession is to prioritise their own health and wellbeing – because without that, they won’t be effective in managing the health of the animals in their care,” shared Dr Wicker.

“I always try to remind them to slow down. From a veterinary perspective, we know relatively little about wildlife and we live in a changing world, so there always will be more to learn. Rather than rushing, recently graduated vets really need to focus on putting all that information they have learnt into practice. As a wildlife vet, you really rely on the ability to go back to first principles, applying your knowledge and expertise to a species you might never have treated before.”