Halley Buckanoff

Halley is the Wildlife Center Supervisor at the North Carolina Zoo’s Wildlife Rehabilitation Center where she oversees rehabilitation practices, center operations, and mentoring of over 100 volunteers and interns a year. The Rehabilitation Center cares for sick, injured, and orphaned native wildlife for the sole purpose of return to the wild in a condition that will optimize their chances of survival without any further human assistance. Halley’s daily tasks include feeding, cleaning, medicating, hand-rearing orphans, record keeping, and veterinary assisting. She is also a Master Bird Bander and conducts research through post-release survival studies to ensure the best practices of our patients.

Halley has a Bachelor of Science in Biology and is a Certified Veterinary Technician, Certified Wildlife Rehabilitator, and Certified Equine Sports Massage Therapist. Halley has also completed graduate level coursework in animal population management and animal nutrition. Halley has held various positions in her career, including working as an unpaid intern at the Portland Audubon Society’s Wildlife Care Center, working as a field biologist, and working as a veterinary technician in small animal, emergency, exotic, and large animal practices. Her first zoo position was at Zoo New England’s Franklin Park Zoo where she worked as a veterinary technician and hospital administrator beginning in 2001. Halley is also a contract instructor for the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council teaching fundamentals of wildlife rehabilitation around the world from Sacramento to Singapore.

Halley’s favorite part of her job is being able to constantly learn new things and challenge herself every day. The field is newer and evolving and she loves to be able to contribute to it experientially and scientifically. Halley advises aspiring zoo professionals to try new things- even if you have your heart set on working with big cats, give small birds a try, because you may not realize how much you love it until you’ve tried it. Focus on what sets you apart from other animal lovers and keep your mind open to different possibilities.