Where are CROW students now: Dr. Melanie Peel
For 30 years, the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife’s (CROW) student program has prepared aspiring wildlife professionals through hands-on training, mentorship, and real-world experience on Sanibel Island. As CROW celebrates this milestone, we’re reconnecting with alumni whose careers have been shaped by their time at CROW. Veterinary internship alumna Dr. Melanie Peel is one of many students whose CROW experience helped launch a career dedicated to wildlife medicine.
Full Name
Melanie Peel, DVM, DACZM
What city/state do you currently reside in?
San Diego, CA
What year(s) did you participate in CROW’s intern program?
2020-2021
What type of internship did you complete?
Veterinary
What is your favorite memory from your internship at CROW?
My favorite memory from CROW is not just a single event, but the camaraderie and teamwork that is required from intaking an animal to seeing it be released.
What was the most valuable lesson you learned during your internship?
During the veterinary internship, the most valuable lesson I learned was that good medicine is more than just surgery or what can be prescribed, but includes creature-comforts, understanding behavior, and appropriate husbandry; animals benefit when we all work together.
What was your favorite species to work with at CROW and why?
My favorite species at CROW were Eastern screech owls and loggerhead shrikes. Before my time at CROW, I actually didn’t enjoy avian species (because I didn’t fully understand them). But following my experiences at CROW, birds quickly became some of my favorite animals to work with and observe.
Did your CROW internship influence your educational or career path?
Yes, significantly.
Where in the world has your CROW internship taken you?
Due to the experience I gained at CROW, I was able to obtain a zoological medicine residency through UC Davis/San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance that I completed in 2024. Following residency, I became a board certified specialist in zoological medicine and was hired as a clinical veterinarian at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.
Please describe your wildlife career achievements.
- Board Certified Specialist in Zoological Medicine
- Clinical Veterinarian at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park
- Multiple publications in zoo and wildlife animals (two of which are from my time at CROW). A couple are listed below:
- Peel MJ, et al. Pharmacokinetics and sedation effects of gabapentin in Cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus). Am J Vet Res. 2024;85(12)
- Peel MJ, et al. Yersinia pseudotuberculosis outbreaks in four North American institutions: clinical signs and necropsy findings. J Zoo Wildl Med. 2024;55(4):1095-1103.
- Peel MJ, Troiano A, Bast R, Blandino A, Barron GH. Prevalence of melena in double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auratus) at a wildlife rehabilitation center in Florida, USA. J Wildlife Rehab. 2024;44(1):13-18. (https://theiwrc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/JWR-441.pdf)
- Troiano AT, Peel M, Cameron AI, Bast R, Flewelling L, Abbott J, Barron H. Investigating blood lactate concentration as a prognostic indicator for birds presenting with brevetoxicosis: 2020–2021. J Zoo Wildl Med. 2023;54(1)
What is a day like for you in your role at work?
My primary role in my current position is performing medical care and preventative health exams on the animals at the San Diego Zoo Safari. A large part of my current role is also mentorship of veterinary students and residents, which I find highly rewarding.
A typical day for me includes performing preventative medicine exams on the various animals at the Safari Park, anything from a 7g Pacific pocket mouse to an elephant, working together with wildlife care specialists to get creative about how to administer a medication to something like a giraffe or cheetah, and teaching veterinary students or veterinary residents.
We also do a lot of conservation work at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, which includes California Condor release programs; this is fulfilling and rewarding for me. Every day can be highly variable, which keeps things exciting and stimulating.
How did your experience at CROW help prepare you for your current role or career?
CROW helped me build skills with efficiency, delegation, working in a large team, teaching students, being creative to achieve a novel goal. Without CROW, I would not be the doctor I am today.
What would you like everyone to know about yourself?
Following all the years of training I did, I realized I did not have a hobby (other than studying). So, for the past couple years my hobby has been figuring out what my hobby is, which has included collecting mini things, plants, hiking, and being very bad at roller skating.
What advice would you give future CROW interns?
Contributing to something bigger than ourselves while learning and having the honor of working directly with wildlife species is an invaluable experience that deserves some moments of gratitude, even on the long days.
What would your intern self be most surprised to learn about where you are today?
That I landed my dream job!
In one word, how would you describe your CROW internship experience?
Invigorating.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
CROW is an amazing place, and I wouldn’t trade my time there for anything. The animals and the first I made still impact me today.
As CROW celebrates 30 years of educating the next generation of wildlife professionals in 2026, alumni like Dr. Melanie Peel demonstrate the program’s lasting impact. Their accomplishments reflect the strength of the program and the many ways CROW continues to advance wildlife medicine through education, mentorship, and hands-on experience. Interested in an externship or internship, learn more here.