At the start of a balmy day in Orlando, Florida, Betsy Stringer anesthetized a sick seahorse for a diagnostic exam. That afternoon, her patient was a manatee. The next day, she suspected she may work on a lion or rhinoceros.
Stringer, a 2005 graduate of the University of Minnesota’s College of Veterinary Medicine, is living her dream as a veterinarian at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
Since growing up in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, she knew from kindergarten that she wanted to be a veterinarian. By high school, she was already working in a veterinary clinic, and during college, she narrowed her focus to wildlife and endangered species care.
“Once I learned that there was a path for that, it’s all I wanted to do,” Stringer says.
She immersed herself in hands-on learning—working summers and weekends at the Minnesota Zoo, doing externships at the University of Minnesota’s Raptor Center and various zoos, and leading the University’s Zoological, Exotic, Avian and Wildlife Medicine Club. She even missed school to attend a national zoo veterinary conference.
After earning her doctor of veterinary medicine degree, Stringer completed a two-year zoo medicine internship at the Indianapolis Zoo, followed by a three-year residency with North Carolina State University and the North Carolina Zoo and Aquariums. During this time, she gained clinical experience with a wide range of species, taught courses, and published scientific research in preparation for board certification.
“It takes years of clinical training to get your feet under you to become competent as a zoo vet,” she says.
Her preparation culminated in passing the rigorous two-day zoological medicine board exam—at the time, making her one of only 150 people in the world to hold the credential.
A dream come true
Soon, Stringer took a position as an associate veterinarian at the Denver Zoo, spending nearly a decade in the role before accepting her current position with Disney. Today, she works at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Animal Kingdom Lodge, and The Seas with Nemo & Friends at EPCOT, where she helps care for about 5,000 animals across the three locations.
Many of the animals in her care participate in medical procedures through positive reinforcement training. For example, elephants may be trained to place their feet on X-ray plates, or other species might be given injections or exams—all to reduce stress and improve outcomes.
She is also featured on the Disney+ series Magic of Disney's Animal Kingdom, which offers a glimpse into the daily challenges and rewards of zoological medicine.
For Stringer, the work is about more than medical care—it's about supporting conservation and helping people form emotional connections with wildlife.
“Everyone who works in this profession is not only passionate about animal health but also about making a bigger difference for animals in the wild,” she says. “The animals that we work with in zoos and aquariums are ambassadors for their species. They help people connect with wildlife and care about our planet.”
This is based on a story from the College of Veterinary Medicine.
