Welcome to my personal webpage. I am the only veterinary surgeon in the United Kingdom to specialise in minimally invasive "keyhole" surgery of wildlife. While this is my main interest, in my line of work I still have to do a little bit of everything, from an ultrasound examination of a Giant land snail to blood sampling a giraffe. I was born and grew up in South Africa, although my father is Italian (which explains my surname).

My wife Yolanda, who is Spanish, is also a veterinarian, and she specialises in cardiology. Somewhere along the line I ended up doing occasional TV work, and have presented or appeared in series on the BBC, Channel 4, Five, and Animal Planet. My latest series "Vet on the loose" followed me as I travelled around the UK treating a wide variety of animals, from tarantulas to tigers, as well as more common pets, and first aired on Animal Planet in the UK in August 2009. 

I currently work part-time as a specialist veterinary surgeon for the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland at Edinburgh Zoo. This world-class zoological collection is the second most visited tourist attraction in Scotland. Not only is it a fantastic place to visit, but is involved in numerous important conservation projects world-wide, and is also doing important research in saving and breeding endangered species. It is the only place in the UK you can see Giant Pandas and Koalas.

 

I am also the wildlife veterinarian for the Scottish SPCA Wildlife Rescue Centre, which admitts over three thousand native species wildlife casualities a year, ranging from hedgehogs to grey and harbour seals, which are treated and rehabilitated for release. This is in keeping with my strong interest in improving animal welfare in all situations.

 

I also perform specialist keyhole surgery in dogs and cats on a referral basis for a small number of selected specialist veterinary private practices in England and Scotland. 

 

I continue to be involved part-time in teaching, as a Special lecturer in Zoo & Wildlife Medicine at the University of Nottingham School of Veterinary Medicine, and lecture and teach on wildlife surgery internationally.