Chatfield Twins are Animal Experts

By Alicia St. Denis and Todd Fuqua

Working with exotic animals and possibly saving an endangered species is just part of the lives Jason (BS 99) and Jenifer Chatfield (attended) lead. They’ve dedicated most of their lives to doing what they love most, helping animals.

The siblings, now living in Florida, obtained their love of animals while living and working on a small farm near San Marcos, Texas, and later attended ENMU on athletic scholarships. Jason played basketball while Jenifer played volleyball. As an undergrad, Jenifer began her veterinary career by volunteering at the Hillcrest Park Zoo in Clovis, New Mexico, the second-largest zoological park in the state behind the ABQ BioPark Zoo in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Jenifer, who remarked the Clovis Zoo had some “fascinating animals,” would later in her career work as an inspector to help re-certify the ABQ BioPark Zoo. That was one of many exciting jobs and posts Jenifer would hold in her veterinary career, which commenced after earning a degree from Texas A&M University’s College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences.

Since then, she has owned emergency vet offices, been awarded gold stars for contributing to veterinary medicine by the Florida Veterinary Medical Association, and currently serves on numerous veterinary boards. These include the National Veterinary Response Team, the advisory board for PetVet Magazine, and the associate editor of the Journal of the Zoo and Wildlife Medicine. She is also a Medical Reserve Corps member. It’s a career that has taken her to locations as exotic as the rainforests of Madagascar and across more familiar land like the Texas Hill Country.

After graduation from veterinary school at Texas A&M, Jason rotated through some of the country’s most prestigious captive wildlife collections, including the San Diego Zoo in San Diego, California. He was the director of the Center for Tropical Ungulates, watching over an extensive group of rhinoceros, giraffes, warthogs and many endangered species. He eventually landed his dream job working for the White Oak Conservation Center in Yulee, Florida.

“I watched after antelope, oryx, rhinos, giraffes, any animals for which zoos could not provide space or time to breed them properly,” Jason said. “It was the job you hope to get after 25 years in the field, not right out of vet school!”

Most recently, Jason was vice president of zoological operations at Jungle Island in Miami, Florida, where he spent 15 years.

At Jungle Island, his duties ranged from approving place settings for fancy dinners to ensuring animals’ health. Things came to an end in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic shut the facility down to tourists, and it was then that Jenifer suggested a different direction – podcasting.

“Chats with the Chatfields,” described by the twins as “35 to 45 minutes of pure ‘edutainment,’” launched in February 2021 and can be heard at chatfieldshow.com. It’s also available through their YouTube channel and on streaming services such as Apple, iTunes, Spotify and Stitcher.

“At first, I thought, ‘what?’ But our first podcast was about working with family, something many people can relate to,” Jason said. “It’s fun to do, and we try to create a podcast with a broad appeal, from professional veterinarians to first-time puppy owners.

“Looking back, I can’t see myself doing anything else,” Jason said of his career.

“I think I’m most proud of the certification from the pet industry,” Jenifer adds. “The board of directors for Partners In Animal Care & Compassion (PACC) awarded that to me for continuing PACC education. We’re trying to bridge the gap between vets, pet owners, and the general public. We very much wanted to be accepted by the pet care industry.”

Jenifer became a pet care expert when she ran an emergency veterinary clinic, caring for various animals.

“Medicine is medicine, whether you care for rhinos, horses or dogs. Antelopes are basically cows with fancy horns,” Jenifer said. “We are interested in all types of animals, and I think it makes us better doctors.”

Even though their podcast has become popular, extending to guest appearances on other shows, Jenifer still struggles with nervousness.

“Of course, I am nervous every week,” Jenifer insists. “If you are not nervous, you are not challenging yourself to do new things!”