Our Staff
Dr Emma Hall
Head Veterinarian
Dr Emma Hall, also known as ‘The Wild Vet’ is our primary veterinarian and has over 15 years’ experience keeping birds and reptiles. In addition to being experienced treating dogs, cats and exotic pets, she has undergone extensive further education in exotic pet medicine and surgery, and has particular interests in surgery and cardiology.
Dr Emma graduated with first-class honours from the University of New South Wales with a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences and Marine Biology in 2011, before studying a Bachelor of Veterinary Science at the University of Sydney and graduating with merit in 2016.
Since then, she has worked at several small animal and exotics clinics around Australia. Emma also has a keen interest in wildlife and spends her spare time tending to injured wildlife and mentoring wildlife carers, leading to her nickname ‘The Wild Vet’.
She is a strong animal rescue advocate. In addition to most of her pets being rescues, she has organised new homes for many unwanted pets or transported to no-kill shelters.
Dr Naomi Little
Veterinarian
Naomi is a 2021 veterinary graduate from the United Kingdom. She began her career as a small animal veterinarian in Northern Ireland before travelling to Australia, where she gained experience working across a variety of veterinary practices.
Alongside her small animal background, Naomi brought experience in exotic animal medicine and surgery to The Wild Vet and has since expanded this across a broad and varied caseload. She confidently treats a diverse range of patients, including birds, reptiles and small mammals, as well as cats and dogs. Naomi enjoys the variety and challenges of exotic animal practice and brings a knowledgeable, considered approach to each case, providing high-quality care tailored to the individual needs of each species and patient.
Naomi grew up in rural Ireland, always surrounded by animals—both pets and wildlife—including Sullivan the three-legged hedgehog and Willow, her rescue ferret. Her experience as an exotic pet owner has given her valuable insight into the needs of these unique animals and sparked a deep interest in helping other owners provide the best possible care. This lifelong love for animals, big and small, inspired her goal from a young age to become a veterinarian, and she now loves being able to care for and fuss over every animal she meets—whether they have fur, feathers, or scales
Dr Lauren Alam
Part Time Veterinarian
Bio Coming Soon!
Dr Olivia Clarke
Locum Veterinarian
Olivia’s passion for animals began in childhood, spending countless hours outdoors admiring wild birds and adopting as many stray cats as possible. It’s safe to say she always had an affinity for animals! During high school, her growing interest in science, biology, and medicine sparked a desire to become an advocate for animals, using this knowledge to help them thrive.
With nearly 10 years of experience as a practising veterinarian and a total of 17 years in the veterinary industry, Olivia has a special interest in birds and exotic pets. She spent several years working exclusively in avian and exotic practice, and has attained ANZCVS membership accreditation in Avian Medicine and Surgery, as well as Medicine and Surgery She is also now an examiner for the Unusual Pets chapter.
Her favourite animal is the rabbit, and at home, she shares her life with two beloved pets: Moby, a 9-year-old domestic shorthair cat, and Flick, an 11-year-old dwarf lop rabbit. In addition to Olivia’s clinical work, she is passionate about continuing education for veterinary professionals, providing mentorship, online courses, webinars, and conference presentations. She also creates educational content for social media, aiming to support both veterinary colleagues and pet parents. In her free time, she loves staying active, enjoying outdoor runs, and spending as much time as possible by the ocean.
Kara Vasylenko
Practice Manager
Kara has taken on the role of Practice Manager here at the Wild Vet from December 2024. After completing her degree in Animal Veterinary Bioscience at USYD and working as a Small Animal and Equine Vet nurse for a number of years she moved onto working in the Veterinary Pharmaceutical industry. This was relatively short lived though as she couldn’t help but want to be back within the Veterinary clinic environment.
Kara has always had a passion for animals great and small and is the pet mum to Angel, her rescue pup, Kiwi her cheeky conure who comes to work with her everyday, Bean and Coffee her little finches, and Cielo, Zimba and Daisy, her horses. Outside of work she can be found competing in equestrian eventing around NSW and ACT.
Kelsie Morris
Kelsie grew up on the rural central coast raising orphaned flying foxes which instilled a passion for animals very early on.
During her years of working in wildlife rescue she has coordinated thousands of rescues of rescues and has a particular interest in native reptiles. Kelsie completed her animal studies qualification at Taronga zoo in 2023 and now oversees many functions of the clinic.
She loves meeting people as crazy about their pets as she is about her cats Pixie & Imp, her bearded dragon Peaches, her budgies Clementine and Baby Abigail and her three dogs Portia, Evie and Bug.
Erjin Son
Caitlyn Howell
Bio Coming Soon!
Courtney Oldfield
Courtney has been the pet-parent to a menagerie of species since early childhood. Her early years were a blur of snail hotels, animal encyclopaedias and attempts to bring home the occasional stray cat. Her lifelong interest in animals evolved into a dedicated nursing career which began in 2018. After completing her qualification in Veterinary Nursing and gaining her registration through VNAC, she has continued to build her skills through undertaking further study in exotic animal nursing.
She believes every patient, no matter how scaly, slimy, small or strange, deserves gold-standard care and aims to deliver that in each aspect of her role. She is committed to advocating for the lives who can’t speak for themselves, ensuring their needs are seen and heard. Some of her favourite duties include radiology, lab-work, venipuncture, post-operative snuggles and administering kisses to any animal she can. Courtney is equal parts passionate about wildlife, pets, and the people who love them.
Beatrice Hecherat
Beatrice has been working in the veterinary industry for over 20 years. She graduated from Londrina University in Brazil with a veterinary degree in 2003, where she is a registered vet.
Having always had a passion for Holistic Medicine, in 2017 she completed a Graduate Diploma in Veterinary Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine, and in 2020 began working as a vet nurse in Australia.
Finally, in 2021 she completed her Essentials of Veterinary Acupuncture course at CIVT (College of Integrative Veterinary Therapies).
Her love for animals has been the driving force behind her career, and she joined the industry because she has a genuine desire to look after animals and help them have a better quality of life.
Christine Runde
Norman
Dr Norman, the seemingly fearless 5-year-old Dachshund x Kelpie mix who is our newest veterinarian, and Chief Security Officer. Norman had a rough start in life, being abandoned at a previous veterinary clinic where Dr. Emma worked.
He may bark at clients entering the waiting room, but Norman is actually quite timid and easily frightened by unfamiliar sights and sounds. Despite his initial apprehension with strangers, once Norman realises that new people pose no threat, he reveals his true nature as an affectionate softie.
In his spare time, he enjoys awkwardly ‘meerkatting’ for snacks, or stealing cuddles in the staff room.
Nugget
Meet Nugget, the lovable 6-year-old French Bulldog rescue who has overcome adversity to become an indispensable member of our veterinary clinic team. Nugget’s journey began with a rocky start, as he was almost euthanised as a puppy. While he may not be the brightest bulb in the bunch, his heart is as big as they come.
In addition to his role as a self-appointed veterinary nurse, Nugget is also the clinic’s mental health officer. He offers comfort and companionship to grieving clients and anxious pets alike. But Nugget’s contributions to the clinic don’t end there. With his constant flatulence, he unwittingly provides some much-needed comedic relief to our staff and clients, turning even the most sombre moments into lighthearted ones with his endearing quirks.
Despite his occasional gassy outbursts, Nugget’s presence is always a welcome one at our clinic. With his boundless love and unwavering dedication, he reminds us all that it’s not about how smart you are, but rather how much love you have to give.
Nugget’s primary duty at the clinic is to investigate patients with his keen sense of smell and his penchant for gentle licks. His thorough inspections not only help put patients at ease but also provide invaluable information to our staff as they assess and treat each animal with care and compassion.
Apollo
From the moment Apollo, our spirited 4-year-old Macaw, arrived at our hospital, it was clear that he had a flair for the dramatic. Not content to simply blend into the background, Apollo demands attention with his endearing antics and playful demeanour.
He loves to greet new people with an excited ‘Hiiiiiiiiii!’ or ‘What You Doing?’, and can be inclined to throw the occasional tantrum if he feels left out. Luckily he can easily be pacified with a nut butter gumnut ‘dummy’, or with his favourite show: Rick and Morty.
Apollo has a keen interest in accessories, appointing himself the role of client hat and glasses inspector! But Apollo’s talents don’t stop there. With his keen eye for design, he loves nothing more than to climb on the pet shop shelves, rearranging items and occasionally “accidentally” knocking items onto the floor. While it may cause a bit of chaos, his antics never fail to bring a smile to the faces of staff and customers alike.
Despite his occasional diva moments, Apollo’s unique blend of charm and mischief makes him a valued member of the team.
Saffron
Saffron’s journey to our clinic began when she was surrendered by her previous owners. She quickly settled into clinic life, and earned the name ‘Saffron’ after her favourite cuisine: Indian food.
One of Saffron’s most endearing qualities is her penchant for wolf whistling at staff walking by. She’s also been known to let out adorable meows and make cute noises that keep the team entertained.