Fernando joined the Saint Louis Zoo Institute for Conservation Medicine (ICM) in 2021 for a two-year postdoctoral position with the Saint Louis Zoo WildCare Institute Canid Conservation Initiative. He earned both his veterinary degree and Ph.D. in wildlife physiology in Madrid and completed an internship in zoological, exotic and wildlife medicine at Oklahoma State University. Before joining the ICM, Fernando worked on conservation projects around the world, including the study of free-ranging Sunda clouded leopards in Malaysia, an ex-situ (off-site conservation) captive breeding program for clouded leopards and fishing cats in Thailand, wolf conservation in Idaho, and the reintroduction of Iberian lynx in Spain. Fernando is passionate about free-living carnivore medicine and conservation. While with the ICM, he will lead research on the ecology and health of the canid guild in ecologically distinct landscapes in the St. Louis region.

Education

DVM – College of Veterinary Medicine, Complutense University of Madrid
Ph.D. – Wildlife Physiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Complutense University of Madrid

Areas of Expertise

Free-ranging carnivore medicine
Ecology
Conservation