Founder of Wildlife Vets International dies after a short illness

We at Wildlife Vets International are devastated to lose Dr John Lewis, a mentor and an inspiration for so many zoo and wildlife vets and biologists for the last 35 years. Through his passion for the conservation of big cats, he became a world leader in his field. His skill and dedication with field work, including his expertise in field anaesthesia, were second to none. He inspired many and his passing is an immeasurable loss to wildlife veterinary medicine.

John qualified as a vet from the University of Cambridge in 1978 and studied for a PhD in oncology. He worked at the Zoological Society of London as a pathologist and clinician, before joining the International Zoo Veterinary Group in 1985, a practice dedicated to zoo, aquatic and exotic animal medicine. He went on to become a partner in 1988.

Known for his passion for big cats, Dr Lewis founded Wildlife Vets International with Andrew Greenwood, a fellow wildlife vet. Wild-life Vets International is a British charity that supports vets and conservationists in using veterinary science to protect endangered species. Not only did he provide this organisation with direction and advice, John participated in numerous conservation projects. Most notably were projects with tigers, throughout their range, and the reintroduction of the Amur leopard to the Russian Far East.