Dr. Lorenzo Crosta
Lorenzo Crosta med vet, PhD, GP Cert (Exotic Animal), Diplomate ECZM, EBVS European Veterinary Specialist in Zoo Health Management is an Associate Professor of Avian and Zoological Medicine at the University of Sydney School of Veterinary Science, Australia.
Lorenzo Crosta med vet, PhD, GP Cert (Exotic Animal) is a Diplomate ECZM, EBVS European Veterinary Specialist in Zoo Health Management. He has served as an Associate Professor of Avian and Zoological Medicine at the University of Sydney School of Veterinary Science, Australia since 2018. He is the Director of the Avian, Reptile, and Exotic Pet Hospital.
Education & training
Dr. Crosta earned his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Milan in 1989. In 2009, he earned a PhD in Veterinary Clinical Sciences from the University of Turin.
Early clinical experience
Dr. Crosta served as a staff veterinarian at the Clinica Veterinaria Delli Carri (1990-1992) and he was the co-owner of the Clinica Veterinaria Fiera (1992-1999). Both practices were in Milan.
…I began breeding fancy pigeons when I was a third year vet student: that was the start of everything! Since then, my interest for birds grew continuously, until they became the main interest of my professional life, and a good part of my interest overall…I consider myself a very fortunate man: I stepped into avian medicine in the late 80s. Therefore, I had the chance to take an active part in the growth of avian medicine over the last 30 years…
Lorenzo served as the Veterinary Director of Loro Parque in Tenerife, Spain from 2000 to 2005.
…With more than 300 taxa represented, Loro Parque is still the most diverse collection of psittacine birds in the world…This job gave me the opportunity to work closely…with some of the best avian scientists, like Helga Gerlach, Andrew Greenwood, Erhard Kaleta, and Susan Clubb, to name a few. However, most important, I could see birds, a lot of birds! And, differently from many colleagues, who could only see birds when they are sick, I could see happy, healthy and breeding birds…
Dr. Crosta also served as the Consulting Veterinarian to the Brazilian Government for the Spix’s and Lear’s Macaws Recovery Program from 2000-2014.
Teacher & lecturer
After Loro Parque, Lorenzo returned to his homeland. His professional life in Italy, followed three main directions. First, he worked as an avian veterinarian, taking care of cases in clinical practice. Lorenzo also consulted with zoos and breeding facilities. This allowed him to continue his work with flocks and to use the techniques he learned at Loro Parque. And finally, Dr. Crosta also began to share his time and expertise with students and other veterinarians.
…I am strongly convinced that I have to share my experience with students and younger colleagues. Most of them will not have the chances to see the huge number of cases and problems I have seen… For this reason, I am, or have been teaching or lecturing in different places, Universities, as well as postgraduate courses…
Lorenzo has paired his love of teaching and his enjoyment of public speaking with his ability to speak four languages. He has lectured on avian medicine in many nations in the Americas, Europe, Australia, as well as the Middle East. He has also taught students from around the world.
Professional affiliations
Dr. Crosta is a member of the Association of Avian Veterinarians (AAV) and the European AAV. He is also a member of the Italian Cultural Society Small Animal Veterinarians (SCIVAC), the Italian Society of Exotic Animal Veterinarians, the Italian National Veterinary Association, and the European Association of Zoo and Wildlife Veterinarians. Since 2013, he has been accredited by the Italian Federation of Veterinary Colleges (FNOVI) in avian and zoological medicine and surgery and zoo health management. In 2015, he successfully completed the exam for the European School of Veterinary Postgraduate Studies (ESVPS) General Practitioner Certification in Exotic Animal Practice. In 2016, Dr. Crosta was also recognized “de facto” as a Diplomate of the European College of Zoological Medicine and he is now a European Board of Veterinary Specialisation (EBVS) European Veterinary Specialist in Zoo Health Management. Lorenzo has also been a panel member of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). He has twice been Chairman of the European Committee of the AAV. He has also served as the President of the Italian Society of Exotic Animal Veterinarians.
