Meet The Team

When away from work Iain has dedicated his life time to wild bird conservation. As a recognised bird ringer, at Trainer level, with the British Trust for Ornithology (since 1980). His particular interest is in bird migration and studies a wide variety of species locally, from migrant warblers to all species of Gull. The newest project is looking at the species of seabirds which use the Forth/Clyde “flyway” crossing Scotland over the central belt and into the Clyde estuary avoiding the huge distance going round!

Known as the practice geek Madonna graduated from Glasgow University in 2002 and found her home at  Ark Vets in 2004. Madonna enjoys all aspects of veterinary medicine but has a special interest in all exotic species.  She also enjoys soft tissue surgery and animal behaviour. Madonna is a member of the Rabbit Welfare and Association Fund (RWAF), the Tortoise Trust, Clyde Bird Ringing Group, the Scottish Ferret Club, British Veterinary Zoological Society, and the Veterinary Invertebrate Society.

She is also a committee member of the Scottish branch of the British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) and has recently completed her three year position as Chair of the committee having previously been the PetSavers Charity Rep. Together with her committee, Madonna as grown Scottish Congress to become the largest veterinary conference in Scotland. Madonna is an affiliated vet of Glasgow University Veterinary School where she is the nominated vet for their exotic animals. She teaches clinical skills in small exotic mammals and lectures on exotic animal medicine and surgery. She also does consultancy work for an external laboratory and speaks widely throughout U.K. on exotic animal medicine and surgery.

Madonna is also the Clinical Lead for the Selective Exotics Rotation for the Final year vet students from Glasgow Vet School. Final year students who are particularly interested in Exotics work in the clinic with our team for a three week rotation. The practice is really proud of being a key component of training the next generation of exotic vets to care for our furry, feathery, and scaley members of our family!

Madonna has been awarded a distinction in her Parrot Studies and Behaviour Diploma and is studying towards her diploma in feline behaviour. Madonna was also awarded the UK Rabbit Vet of the Year Award 2022 by Burgess and RWAF, and the External Lecturer of the Year award 2022, by the students of Glasgow Vet School.

In her spare time Madonna enjoys training her German Shepherd Dog: Vita and Hungarian Vizsla: Rheia  in obedience and hopefully agility. She also enjoys helping with wild bird conservation and researching exotic animal diseases. Currently she is owned by two dogs, ten ferrets, 34 chickens, two cockatiels and five dwarf puffer fish! 

In her ‘Other life’ Krissy is a wife and a mother to two small children and cohabits with a cat, various
lizards and pet woodlice. She enjoys running, knitting and spending time with her family.

Calum graduated from Glasgow Vet School in 2021 and joined the practice in 2023. Calum enjoys all aspects of veterinary medicine, but has a keen interest in orthopaedic work that he hopes to expand on from the experienced surgeons at the practice. Out of work Calum likes to stay active in many forms including running, boxing and swimming. Calum shares his home with an old grumpy tortoise named Hagrid and a majestic (but mischievous) cat named Monty.

Michael graduated from Glasgow Vet School in 2023 and joined us as a new graduate. He’s been loving his time here finding his feet, and has been enjoying all aspects of his job. He hopes to begin to broaden his horizons as his time at the practice goes on and perhaps find a niche to specialize in. 

Away from the practice he enjoys the outdoors, and volunteers with the Scout Association. He has two cats (usually much happier than in the picture opposite) that he dotes on and occasionally finds time to run Dungeons and Dragons games for his friends. 

Hi, I’m Katherine Gumal. I’m a Malaysian from the exotic sunny island of Borneo and I love Asian food. My favourite restaurant in Glasgow is Loon Fung which has amazing dim sum! I graduated from Glasgow Vet School in 2021 amidst the crazy pandemic and am enjoying practicing all aspects of medicine in my favourite rainy, cold city in the UK. In my spare time, I love dancing, music, kickboxing and houseplants. The dogs in the photo are my Rottweiler-mixed-Dalmatians and I also have two German Shepherd-mixed-Labs.

I qualified as a Registered Veterinary Nurse in 2017 but have been working in the veterinary industry for much longer. After spending 18 years in London I returned to Scotland 2024 spending six months as a locum veterinary nurse before taking up a full time position with Ark. My main interest in in behaviour, especially feline behaviour.

I saw practice at the Ark between the ages of 18-26 yrs old and worked here on a Saturday during my time studying to become a qualified veterinary nurse. It was during this time I developed my passion for exotics and knew my ultimate aim was to work here full time. In December 2021 I was awarded my degree in Veterinary Nursing and since then I have worked in emergency medicine, first opinion, and referral clinics. I joined the ark full time in June 2024. My main interests lay in exotic species anaesthesia, physiotherapy, and acupuncture. Although I also enjoy consulting as I like to get to know my patients and their owners. Outside of work, my many aquariums (both tropical and marine) and my Blue fronted Amazon parrot (Quincy) keep me busy. I also enjoy walking and spending time with my partner.

I joined Ark Vets in July 2024 after working in shelter medicine for 7 years. I wanted to experience first opinion care and start working with pets and their owners. I gained my qualification as a Registered Veterinary Nurse in 2021 and although I enjoy all areas of veterinary nursing, I have a particular interest in anaesthesia and I am excited to learn more about exotics. When I am not at work I like to stay active by attending the gym and going running. I enjoy spending time with family and friends, and most importantly I do absolutely everything with my beagle Toby!

From a young age I have wanted to work with animals and become a veterinary nurse. In 2020 I completed my NC in Animal Care and completed my HND in Animal Care in 2022 then going on to be awarded my degree with honours in Bioscience and Zoology in 2024. My interests are varied (exotics, surgery, radiography, medicine, holistic view of medicine, and behaviour. Outside of work I love progressive learning, reading, and dancing!

After being a peer support worker for a mental health charity for nearly 10 years I decided on a change of career path and joined the Ark in 2022. I firmly believe in a holistic approach to pain management in all species. My main interests are exotics, physiotherapy, anaesthesia, and surgery. I was awarded my Degree with commendation in Biosciences and Biotechnology. Outside of work I enjoy reading, crafting, and spending time with (and medicating!) my own pets. 

After being invited to an interview whilst working as a veterinary care assistant in another practice, I was offered the job. The chance to work with exotics and feeling like a fitted in with all the staff helped make my decision to accept! I hold a HND in Animal Care and was awarded my Degree in Zoology and Bioscience. My main interests are anaesthesia and x-rays. Outside of work I enjoy socialising, wild swimming, and bird watching (don’t judge!).

I started with Ark vets in April 2024 after making the difficult decision to close my exotic animal pet store. I have always wanted to work with animals and had previously worked with in emergency veterinary care as an animal care assistant. I hold a HND in animal care and a degree (with hons) in Applied Bioscience with Zoology. I am passionate about all animals but in particular exotics and want to further my knowledge in all areas of their care. When I am not working I have diverse hobbies which include: reading, rambling, circus training, taxidermy, and the breeding of select reptiles and invertebrates.

I started with Ark Vets in May 2024 and I am passionate about exotics (rats in particular). Understanding the close bond owners form with their pets regardless of species, I also have an interest in pet bereavement support. Outside of work I enjoy horse riding (I hold an HNC in Equine studies), going to gigs, crafting, watching horror movies, and hill walking with my dog Riot.