Shelly (Richelle) Butcher
Qualifications
BSc Veterinary Bioscience
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM)
MVS Conservation Veterinary Medicine
MANZCVS Avian
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Position
PhD Candidate
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Contact details
Address:
School of the Environment
University of Queensland, St Lucia Campus
Goddard Building (08), Brisbane, QLD, Australia 4072
Email: r.butcher"at"student.uq.edu.au
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Overview
I am a PhD candidate at the University of Queensland under the supervision of Dr. Laura Grogan, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Celine Frere and Dr. Viviana Gonzalez-Astudillo. I am investigating fungal infections in free-ranging Australian reptiles.
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I completed my Bachelor of Science (veterinary bioscience) and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Adelaide. For my clinical research project, I explored the associations between koala retrovirus and periodontal disease in free-ranging South Australian koalas. Following graduation, I worked as a mixed practice veterinarian in Proserpine, Queensland before pursuing further studies in New Zealand.
Shelly with kiwi chick
I completed a Master of Veterinary Studies in conservation veterinary medicine at Massey University, Palmerston North, through a wildlife and zoo animal residency program with Wildbase Hospital and Wellington Zoo. My masters thesis focused on pathogen prevalence and diversity in native and invasive free-ranging New Zealand lizards. The research involved field sampling to assess the prevalence and disease outcomes of Salmonella, Cryptosporidium and dermal fungal in native skink and gecko species, while evaluating the potential disease risks posed by the invasive rainbow skink (Lampropholis delicata). Following my research masters, I moved to Southeast Queensland to work as a clinical wildlife veterinarian before starting my PhD.
​Research Overview
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My research interests are in disease ecology, wildlife disease and conservation medicine. My PhD focuses on understanding how fungal pathogens impact reptile health, biodiversity and conservation, with a particular emphasis on the disease ecology of these pathogens within wild Australian squamates.
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Research Keywords
Disease, ecology, wildlife, conservation, herpetofauna, Squamata, fungus, dermatomycosis
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Publications & Conferences
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2024
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Waller, S. J., Butcher, R.G., Lim, L., McInnes, K., Holmes, E.C., & Geoghegan, J.L. (2024). The radiation of New Zealand’s skinks and geckos is associated with distinct viromes. BMC Ecology and Evolution, 24(1), 81. DOI: 10.1186/s12862-024-02269-4
2023
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Butcher, R.G., Lenting, B., Clarke, A.S., Buckle, K., & Gans, C. (2023). Jejunal intramural haematoma in a captive African lion (Panthera leo). Veterinary Record Case Reports, 11(1), e556. DOI: 10.1002/vrc2.556
2022
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Butcher, R.G., Jolly, M., Dittmer, K.E. & Hunter, S. (2022). Telangiectatic osteosarcoma of the tibiotarsus in a North Island brown kiwi (Apteryx mantelli). Journal of Wildlife Diseases, 58(4), 947-950. DOI: 10.7589/jwd-d-22-00022
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Shelly with black throated monitor
2021
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Butcher, R.G. & Jolly, M. (2021). Extraarticular stabilisation using a nylon prosthesis for a femorotibial luxation in a Luzon bleeding-heart dove (Gallicolumba luzonica). Kokako, 28(1), 4-6
2020
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Roman L., Butcher R.G., Stewart D., Hunter S., Jolly M., Kowalski P., Hardesty BD. & Lenting B. (2020). Plastic ingestion is an underestimated cause of death for southern hemisphere albatrosses. Conservation Letters, e12785. DOI: 10.1111/conl.12785
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Butcher R.G., Pettett L.M., Fabijan J.H., Ebrahimie E., Mohammadi-Dehcheshmeh M., Speight K.N., Boardman W.S., Bird P.S. & Trott D.J., (2020). Periodontal disease in free-ranging koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) from the Mount Lofty Ranges, South Australia and its association with koala retrovirus infection. The Australian Veterinary Journal, 98(5), 200-206. DOI: 10.1111/avj.12919
Link
Shelly with lace monitor
Shelly with northern spotted skink