Meg Sutherland-Smith Email & Phone Number

Meg Sutherland-Smith, DVM, is the Director of Veterinary Services for the San Diego Zoo. She is one of six animal specialists at the San Diego Zoo who are responsible for the health and well-being of more than 3,000 animals, large and small, representing more than 800 exotic or endangered species.Sutherland-Smith’s duties include oversight of the Veterinary Services Department and interfacing with multiple other SDZG departments to support and further the mission of San Diego Zoo Global. According to Sutherland-Smith, the most enjoyable part of her job is being able to care for a diverse group of animals –from the hummingbird weighing only a few grams to the 13,000-pound elephant.Sutherland-Smith earned her bachelor of science degree from Virginia Tech in 1982. She earned a master’s degree in biochemistry from North Carolina State University in 1985 and a doctor of veterinary medicine degree in 1989. She came to the San Diego Zoo as a resident in 1990, following a one-year small-animal internship at the Animal Medical Center in New York, New York where she was a practicing veterinarian. In 1992, Sutherland-Smith became a permanent member of the veterinarian services team at the San Diego Zoo.