Our Team

Sue graduated from the Ontario Veterinary College in 1987 and completed a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife at the University of Guelph prior to this. Wildlife conservation has always been her passion, and her goal has always been to utilize her veterinary skills in a project that has direct conservation impact.  She worked for many years in private practice, and founded and ran her own hospital for a short time. She then began working for charities including Toronto Humane Society, and gradually narrowed her focus exclusively to wildlife, running the Earth Rangers wildlife hospital until its closure, and then working as a wildlife veterinarian at Toronto Wildlife Centre. Sue has also taught the wildlife course to veterinary technicians at Seneca College since 2005, along with teaching a full wildlife medicine course to veterinarians and technicians from 2006 to 2016.

One of her more recent awards was being named to the Order Of Ontario, the province’s highest honour! Dr. Carstairs is also a member of the Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialty Group (TFTSG)*, and has received the J.R. Dymond Public Service Award, the Environmental Excellence Stewardship Award, the Silver Salamander award in recognition of her commitment to the conservation of Ontario’s turtles, and so much more!

Sue feels very fortunate to have been given the opportunity to take on the role as Executive and Medical Director of the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre since 2009. The direct conservation impact, combined with the ability to fully utilize her veterinary skills, makes this role her dream job. Sue also feels privileged to work with an equally passionate team of professionals.

*The Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialty Group (TFTSG) is one of a large number of Specialist Groups and Task Forces that constitute the working network of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission (SSC). Membership is by invitation, and there are 322 members currently, across 54 nations. IUCN is the global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard it. It is organized into 6 commissions; one of which is the species survival commission. The TFTSG provides expertise and science-based recommendations with conservation relevance covering all species of freshwater and terrestrial turtles and tortoises. It is the recognized global authority and official IUCN Red List authority for the determination of global threat levels for these species.

Dr. Kristen Janke is a veterinarian with a lifelong love of reptiles. She spent her childhood flipping rocks in search of the scaly creatures hiding beneath, and continued that passion as a snake researcher early in her career. After spending many years as an outdoor educator and teacher, she became a veterinarian so she could devote her time to the well-being of animals. She discovered the OTCC as a veterinary student, and immediately knew it was the place for her; now, it is the main focus of her career. Turtles are very special patients, and she has a particular fondness for giant snapping turtles. She loves the challenge of caring for each individual, and contributing to the conservation of wild populations with every successful release.

At home, Kristen and her husband surround themselves with nature and gardens, and share their lives with multiple furry senior citizens who keep them endlessly entertained and busy when not at work.

Dr. Sabrina Cirone has had a lifelong interest in reptiles. She grew up with unconventional pets such as snakes, water dragons, and geckos since the age of 9. This cemented her passion for animals and the environment and led her to pursue the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program at the Ontario Veterinary College in Guelph.

After graduating from veterinary school, she worked as an associate veterinarian practicing medicine, dentistry, and surgery on cats, dogs, rabbits, hamsters, rats, turtles, and snakes. In addition to working in private practice, she continues to work part time at the Ontario Turtle Conservation Center and the Toronto Wildlife Center, as wildlife medicine is what she is most passionate about. Turtles face endless challenges due to negative human impact, and she is grateful to be able to provide crucial veterinary care to so many at-risk and endangered species.

When not working with turtles, Sabrina enjoys travelling, rock climbing, camping, snowboarding, and caring for her plethora of pets and plants at home.

Dr. Pauline Delnatte is a veterinarian who has specialized in zoo, exotics, and wildlife medicine for 15 years. Pauline obtained her DVM degree in France, completed an internship in exotic pet medicine and bird of prey rehabilitation at the University of Montreal, then a residency in zoological medicine and pathology offered jointly by the University of Guelph and the Toronto Zoo. She worked at the University of Montreal for 2 years sharing her time between wildlife pathology and clinical activities at the Québec aquarium and the Granby Zoo. She then returned to Ontario and spent seven years as staff veterinarian at the Toronto Zoo, caring for a wide variety of species. She currently works for the Provincial Animal Welfare Services helping non-domestic species in need. She is a Diplomate of both the American and European Colleges of Zoological Medicine, and an adjunct faculty for the departments of Pathobiology and Clinical Studies at the University of Guelph. Pauline always had a soft spot for reptiles and a lifelong love for conservation and thus, in her spare time, she is delighted to work at the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre to be part of the amazing team dedicated to help rehabilitating injured wild turtles and saving the world one turtle at a time!

Chris is a veterinarian who has specialized in zoo and wildlife medicine for 25 years. This has included positions as Head Veterinarian at the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, in Jersey, UK, as a Resident in Zoological Medicine at the Saint Louis Zoo, Missouri, USA, and, for the last 17 years, as a veterinarian at the Toronto Zoo, culminating in being their Head of Veterinary Services. During this time he completed a Master of Science degree in Wild Animal Health at the London Zoo, and became a diplomat in both the European and American Colleges of Zoological Medicine. He has lectured to students, presented at international conferences, and published scientific papers and book chapters. In November 2019, he started his own Zoo and Wildlife Veterinary Consultancy company, and is currently working as an Avian & Exotic Animal Specialist Veterinarian at the Ontario Veterinary College, and as a Wildlife Veterinarian at the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre, where he is extremely proud to be making a positive contribution to the native turtle populations of Ontario; he feels that this is truly one of the most satisfying highlights of his long career.

Dr. Brittany Greenwood graduated in 2015 from the Ontario Veterinary College in Guelph. Following graduation, she worked in large animal medicine with a primary focus on ruminant health management, while also gaining experience with a variety of other species including equine, porcine, and avian patients.

Brittany has had a lifelong passion for turtles, and has participated in various conservation initiatives, including traveling to Costa Rica to work with green sea turtles. In 2023, she began volunteering at the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre, where she expanded her knowledge of wildlife medicine, surgery, and rehabilitation, and developed a deeper appreciation for the critical role turtles play in maintaining healthy ecosystems. She has enjoyed becoming an active member of the OTCC veterinary team. While Blanding’s turtles hold a special place as her personal favorite, she has a deep appreciation for all native Ontario turtle species and is committed to their conservation and care.

Brittany lives in Durham and loves spending time with her family including her husband, three young children and four cats. In her spare time she enjoys creating stained glass, gardening, building Lego, and staying active.

Britney graduated with High Honours from the Veterinary Technician program at Seneca College in 2015, and became a Registered Veterinary Technician shortly after. Prior to this, she achieved an Honours Bachelor of Science degree majoring in Animal Biology from the University of Guelph in 2013. Britney has worked for the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre since 2014, when she was hired on as a student veterinary technician. From her first days at the center Britney was hooked. Britney’s favorite parts of her job are seeing turtles that she has helped to care for be returned to the wild, as well as seeing the eggs incubated at the center hatch into adorable babies. In addition to working at OTCC, Britney is a full-time RVT at Omemee Veterinary Hospital. Britney has always had a passion for all types of animals, largely thanks to her upbringing on a 100 acre farm near Norwood Ontario, where the household always had a wide variety of pets. Britney currently shares her home with her husband Peter as well as their two cats, Charlotte and Marcus.

Eva graduated from the Veterinary Technician program with Honours from Seneca College in 2009. She also completed the Advanced Wildlife Technician course and was inspired to learn more about wildlife conservation and in particular, turtle medicine. She has 7 years of experience working with a wide variety of research animals including rodents, birds, reptiles and amphibians. Eva has worked as a Registered Veterinary Technician in a small animal hospital since 2010. Being raised in the Peterborough area, it was a dream to complete her educational placement at the Kawartha Turtle Trauma Centre. Taught by Dr. Carstairs, Eva has been providing veterinary treatment to turtle patients since 2009. From cleaning tanks to nursing injured turtles, working alongside other dedicated staff, caring for hatchlings and ultimately rehabilitating turtles for return to the wild, she has fully enjoyed being a part of every turtle season. Eva feels very lucky to be able to positively impact the Ontario turtle population in such a rewarding environment.

Maureen has been providing emergency care and medical treatments to Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre’s patients since 2009. A graduate from the Veterinary Technician Program at St. Lawrence College in 1999, it was during her time as a student that she fell in love with wildlife medicine after completing an internship at the New England Wildlife Center in Massachusetts. During her career in veterinary medicine, Maureen has worked with many species of animals – from cats and dogs to salamanders, turtles, owls, loons, and even lions and bears. With over ten years experience in wildlife medicine and rehabilitation, Maureen has worked and volunteered with many wildlife organizations such as Earth Rangers, Toronto Wildlife Centre, and Wildlife Preservation Canada. Maureen enjoys sharing her knowledge and passion for wildlife by lecturing at conferences designed for veterinary students and wildlife professionals; and she also regularly facilitates avian and reptile medicine workshops. Maureen feels very fortunate to work with such a dedicated team devoted to protecting Ontario’s turtle populations.