Heather Rally

Dr. Heather Rally is a California-based clinical veterinarian dedicated to advancing animal care and welfare through medicine, research, law and advocacy.

She currently serves as Medical Director at a multi-practice specialty hospital for small animals and exotics in Los Angeles and is the Founder and Director of Thrive Wild, an organization focused on promoting the health and wellbeing of wild animals in captive facilities.

Previously, Dr. Rally served as the Senior Veterinarian for Captive Animal Law Enforcement at the Foundation to Support Animal Protection, where she led investigations and enforcement actions in cases of abuse and neglect of wild animals in captive settings.

She also serves as adjunct faculty at Vermont Law and Graduate School, where she teaches courses on animal welfare, ethics, science, conservation, and protection.

Her scholarship includes peer-reviewed publications in the Journal of Veterinary Behavior (2019), Reviews in the Neurosciences (2021), and PeerJ (2024), as well as co-authorship of the chapter Animal Welfare and the Endangered Species Act in the American Bar Association’s Endangered Species Act Law and Policy, Third Edition (2021).

Dr. Rally has specialized training in marine mammal medicine and a particular interest in the welfare and conservation of these species. She serves as an advisor to the Whale Sanctuary Project, as well as the Aegean Marine Life Sanctuary in Greece and the Sea Life Trust Beluga Whale Sanctuary in Iceland.