Dr. Daniela Castillo is a veterinarian born and raised in Oaxaca, Mexico. She is very passionate about animal rights, wildlife and environmentalism. Valedictorian of her class, she graduated with a Veterinary Medicine degree from Universidad Veracruzana in 2008. She did her one-year internship in a government funded zoo in Veracruz City. She obtained a full scholarship from the Mexican government to study a masters degree in Wildlife Conservation at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia.
As soon as Daniela landed back in the United States in 2010, she pledged to live vegan for the rest of her life. In 2011 she started volunteering at St. Francis Wildlife Association, a wildlife rehabilitation center in Quincy, Florida. Thanks to her dedication and academic qualifications, she became the Director and licensed wildlife rehabilitator. Daniela realized she could not help wildlife and other animals as much as she wanted without being licensed to practice veterinary medicine in the United States. In 2016 Daniela became a licensed veterinarian in California. Dr. Castillo works for a future world where all animals are free of pain, slavery and a cruel death. She envisions a world where veterinarians will be legal guardians for animals to defend these simple rights for them.
About declawing, Dr. Castillo says, “I have always loved cats and always have places available for them to scratch at their own will. After all, it is just furniture and their claws and joy are more important to me than anything in the world. Declawing is just never a consideration.