10 QUESTIONS {fascinating people}
TODD DRIGGERS, DVM Exotic animal veterinarian
Dr. Todd Driggers holds Bindi, an orphaned baby wombat that was bottlefed after her mother was hit by a car.
1. You specialize in exotic animal medicine and surgery. How did you get into this? It’s true, I only practice on exotic animals and have been doing this since graduation in 1994. As a child, I loved and still love my dogs and cats but was fascinated with the biology of wild animals. The field of exotic animal med/surgery has developed right alongside my career, and I’ve enjoyed blending biology with the medical. To be sure, I don’t know how I got into it; it was just who I was. On the first day of veterinary school at Purdue, I was asked in front of the class what type of medicine I intended to practice, and I said I wanted to be a turtle vet. They laughed, so did I, but here I am.
potbelly pigs and — surprisingly to most — chickens. We don’t see farm animals or dogs and cats.
3. You recently traveled to Australia to help with rescue and care efforts after the devastating fires. When did your affinity for Australia begin? I’m fascinated by the wildlife of the world, not just Australia. Admittedly, I rescued some Bennett’s wallabies in 2000 and raised more than a dozen joeys, so, yes, I probably have some Australia leanings. In 2018, I was asked to lecture at an international exotic animal conference in Adelaide and developed some colleague friendships that I’ve maintained.
2. What kinds of animals do you see in your practice in Mesa?
4. What made you decide to get involved?
We see any non-domestic, which means any wild animal, whether it is bred in captivity or is captive or native wildlife. The scope of what we see could range from a small salamander, tortoise, parrot, duck, rabbit or even a cougar. We see domestic
I saw devastating pictures of the fires and wildlife, and the photos and videos made me feel helpless and sad. So on January 3, I went from a thoughts-and-prayer mentality to “I have to do something.” I intended to send some
8 FRONTDOORS MEDIA | APRIL 2020
