The BC Wildlife Park says it is hoping to eventually have its newly-hired veterinarian come on board full time.

General manager Glenn Grant says the park hired Dr. Ellen Dunstedt out of Langley back in February.

“It’s great to have a vet on hand to take care of all the needs that we need taken care of. Review diet, look at enrichment programs. There’s a lot of things that she’s going to assist us positively for the animals in our care.”

Grant says Dr. Dunstedt looks after animals at the park part-time on a weekly basis, and is the first vet ever who the park has directly employed.

“We’ve always had vets under a contract or visiting vets from local clinics. We’ve always had great support in veterinary care, but it’s great to have one on board as a staff member who is assigned to looking after the collection.”