Wildlife Rehabilitation Center Team

Alaqua Team, L-R/ Chris Teboe, Jim Johnson, Tyler Brown, Andrea Diessner, Shelby Robinson

Alaqua’s Wildlife Rehabilitation Center has assembled a highly experienced wildlife specialty team with a combined 30 years of experience working with wildlife in clinical settings.

All staff members have met requirements associated with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) permitting regulations which include thousands of hours working hands on with wildlife and other specific requirements for various species. Medical, husbandry, nursery, transport, rescue, capture, and release experience with all species was mandatory for this specialized licensing.

Shelby Robinson, MES
Wildlife Director
Shelby has been in the field of wildlife rehabilitation for over 10 years. Her love for wildlife rehabilitation came from an internship during graduate school at the Progressive Animal Welfare Society’s Wildlife Center (PAWS) in Lynnwood, WA. She has served as the Release Specialist and Wildlife Veterinary Technician at South Florida Wildlife Center; the Lead Wildlife Rehabilitator at Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge; and has completed species-specific training at PAWS. She has presented at wildlife conferences and been awarded grants at both local and international levels. It has always been a dream of hers to develop a wildlife rehabilitation program for a community in need.

Andrea Diessner
Lead Wildlife Rehabilitator
Andrea’s passion is wildlife and habitat conservation, and she’s been working in the field of wildlife rehabilitation for over 10 years. She began as a volunteer in high school working with a small wildlife sanctuary in Panama City Beach, Florida as she was studying pre-veterinary medicine. Eventually she became the senior director of that small sanctuary–leading and teaching oncoming volunteers; directing educational events; leading renesting campaigns; managing the daily flow of the sanctuary. Since then she has worked with Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation in Kendalia, Texas as a wildlife rehabilitator and cared for large exotic sanctuary/former research primates/former zoo animals, and has specialized in avian rehabilitation. Her dream was always to come back into the field of wildlife rehabilitation and educate the public on the importance of coexisting peacefully with the natural world.

Tyler Brown
Wildlife Care Technician
Tyler received her B.S. in Wildlife, Fisheries and Conservation from Arkansas State University. After moving to Florida, she completed an extensive internship at Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge where she was able to gain hands-on experience in a wildlife rehabilitation center. She joined Alaqua’s wildlife team after being hired initially as an animal care technician.

Chris Teboe
Wildlife Care Technician
Chris has worked in a veterinary clinic setting since 2014, and received his Veterinary Assistant Certification from Okaloosa Technical School. Although he has worked with domestic animals and exotic birds, he specializes in herpetology (reptiles and amphibians).

Jim Johnson
Wildlife Care Technician 
Jim Johnson has volunteered full-time with the rehabilitation center since its inception in 2021. Coming from an eclectic background as a musician, quality control manager, salesman, and IT tech, he fully immersed himself in the world of wildlife rehabilitation. He was a quick learner and eager to assist with any and all tasks. Due to his dedication and newly acquired skills along with his critical thinking, he was hired as the lead rescue technician in early 2023. Jim’s specialties include hand rearing baby raptors, going on complex rescue missions, fixing any and everything we break, and finding suitable release environments for our many patients.