A vet who has treated everything from fruit bats to frogs and cockatoos to caimans, is to lead the avian and exotic service at the new Valley Veterinary Hospital, near Cardiff.
Tending to exotic animals comes naturally to Tariq Abou-Zahr as they have been a major part of his life since he was a child. Now, as a certificate holder in zoological medicine, Tariq has the task of developing the avian and exotic service at the new £2m facility opening in Gwaelod y Garth.
An empty warehouse has been transformed by Valley Vets into the two-storey veterinary hospital, providing 24-hour care, seven days a week from this month.
During his career, Tariq has treated a wide variety of species including parrots, birds of prey, lizards, snakes, tortoises, rabbits, guinea pigs, small rodents and monkeys.
He said: “It is fantastic to have a dedicated, state-of-the art clinic just for avian and exotic patients within a multidisciplinary hospital in Cardiff.
“Few such facilities exist in the United Kingdom and it’s great to have one in the capital of Wales.
“I love the variety that comes with exotics. I’ve performed some unusual surgery in my career, including removing a tumour from a goldfish and extracting pieces of metal from the stomach of a bird.”
