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A coffee-cup toast sets the tone, but the conversation quickly turns fierce, funny, and deeply human as we welcome Dr. Holly Holman—zoo veterinarian turned small-animal chief of staff—who has stood at the edge of lion enclosures and in the eye of national controversy. From a childhood love of exotics and space camp dreams to a residency at the Columbus Zoo and a decade at Zoo Boise, Holly traces the hard-earned craft of caring for every species in the room when there is no “giraffe-only” doctor to call.

We dive into the practical realities of zoo medicine: how animals remember dart events and people, why redundancy at the door can save lives, and what happens when a wolverine wakes mid-move. Holly unpacks the chaos and purpose behind sloth bear introductions—those cartoon-dust clouds of fur that can lead, with careful oversight, to successful breeding—and the discipline it takes to step back or step in. She shares the heartbreaking night a trespasser tried to steal a patas monkey, and the impossible calculus of the Zanesville mass release, when public safety collided with animal welfare and responders faced decisions that would define headlines.

Holly brings it home with a candid look at her current chapter: leading a small clinic, mentoring teams, seeing dogs, cats, and exotics, and balancing work with family and a lively household pack. Along the way, we explore ethics, training, hybrid big cats, and why competency in this field looks like humility, checklists, and a quick phone call to the person who’s done the hard thing before. If you’ve ever wondered what zoo veterinarians really face—or how animal behavior, safety, and policy meet in the real world—this is your front-row seat.

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