Rosalie A. Reed
Rosalie A. Reed (born 1945) is an American veterinarian. In 1973, she became the first woman to work as a veterinarian at the Los Angeles Zoo and the first African American to be a veterinarian at a major US zoo.
Reed grew up in Mount Vernon, New York, the daughter of George and Rosa Reed, and she loved animals from a young age. She attended Tuskegee University, focused on exotic animals, and earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 1972. Soon after graduation, she applied to the Los Angeles Zoo, passed the exams, and was hired.
At the LA Zoo, Reed cared for about 2,635 animals, kept track of their health and diets, quarantined new arrivals, and performed surgeries. She earned $16,000 a year, worked five days a week, and was on call for emergencies, often working with Dr. William Hulsinger. Reed even kept a Mexican tarantula on her desk to help overcome her fear of spiders. She helped rehabilitate a California condor.
By April 1975, Reed was working at a private zoo.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 12:14 (CET).