Dr. Bonnie L. Raphael joined the Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA) Board of Directors in June 2026, bringing decades of world-class veterinary expertise to TSA’s highest level of governance. Dedicated to ensuring robust veterinary strategy in global chelonian conservation, Dr. Raphael also serves on TSA’s Field Conservation, Animal Management, and Veterinary Committees.
Dr. Raphael’s distinguished career in zoological medicine spans over forty years. She spent more than two decades with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) based at the Bronx Zoo, serving as Associate, Senior, and ultimately Head of the Clinical Department for the Zoological Health Program until 2016.
Prior to her time with WCS, she was the Senior Veterinarian at the Dallas Zoo. Since 2018, she has acted as the Senior Veterinary Advisor to TSA, providing critical guidance on international rescue missions, health screenings, and field conservation strategies.
A leading authority on confiscation medicine, reptile triage, and wildlife health assessments, Dr. Raphael has led and contributed to vital field projects worldwide. Her extensive chelonian work includes decades of health assessments for free-ranging and captive Radiated tortoises in Madagascar—including serving on TSA’s historic 2018 Radiated Tortoise Rescue Mission—as well as field investigations for native Bog turtles in the United States and endemic tortoises in Myanmar.
Her expertise also extends broadly across species, including veterinary mentoring and training programs for endangered primates, pangolins, and bears across Vietnam, and serving as a veterinary advisor to the Okapi Conservation Project.
Dr. Raphael received her Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degrees from Michigan State University, followed by a residency in Laboratory Animal and Wildlife Medicine at the University of Florida. A Diplomate of the American College of Zoological Medicine (ACZM), she is a prolific researcher who has authored dozens of peer-reviewed scientific publications and definitive textbook chapters on chelonian and confiscation medicine.