Emergency Veterinarian
Gabrielle Tobias graduated from the University of Sydney with a Bachelor of Science (Veterinary) and a Bachelor of Veterinary Science. After a year in practice, she completed a rotating Small Animal Internship at the Sydney University Veterinary Teaching Hospital, earning her Graduate Diploma in Veterinary Clinical Studies. Gabi then worked as a general practice veterinarian in specialist clinics in Sydney for 12 years and also completed a Master’s in Wildlife Health and Population Management.
Gabi began working at Taronga Zoo in 2005 as a veterinary locum and started her current part-time veterinary position in 2012. She simultaneously began working at SASH North Ryde as an Emergency and Critical Care Veterinarian. Gabi’s long association with specialty clinical practices has facilitated ongoing relationships between Taronga Wildlife Hospital and veterinary specialists in Sydney. This collaboration enables her to incorporate gold-standard, current veterinary practices into her work at Taronga, exemplified by the world’s first blood transfusion in a platypus.
Gabi has completed theses on Faecal Sex Steroid Analysis in Long- and Short-beaked Echidnas and Ulcerative Disease in Malayan Tapirs. She has authored two chapters on echidna health in “Current Therapy in Medicine of Australian Mammals,” published by CSIRO in 2019, and has co-authored several publications. Currently, she is investigating gastric neoplasia in Little Penguins and metabolic bone disease in Southern Hairy-nosed Wombats. In 2022, Gabi achieved membership in the Zoo Animal Medicine Chapter of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists.
With extensive experience in all aspects of zoo and wildlife veterinary care, Gabi has special interests in welfare, behaviour, cooperative care, anaesthesia, and analgesia. She serves as the veterinary representative on the Taronga Animal Welfare Committee. Gabi is passionate about empowering busy vets to assess and treat wildlife with confidence.
Outside of work Gabi is to be found wrangling her three children, a special needs rescue dog, promoting the joys of echidnas, and working on bringing sequins and dance to everyday situations.
