amy twentyman

Senior Vet Nurse, Taronga Zoo

Which animals do you work with?

I work at the Taronga Wildlife Hospital.

A very special patient, a Greater Glider, was treated at Taronga’s Wildlife Hospital after sustaining horrific injuries from barbed wire fencing.

A team from Taronga Zoo travel to the Snowy Mountains to find Corroboree Frog eggs that they hope will help save the species, while back in Sydney staff await the arrival of a new Zebra and at the same time have to say goodbye to an old friend.

Vets struggle to remove fishing debris from an endangered Green Turtle while the decision between two lions for breeding has to be made. A giraffe is reunited with his brother after many years and there is a new addition to a capuchin monkey family.  

A 24 kg turtle was bought to Taronga Zoo’s Wildlife Hospital at the end of January after being found by local residents tangled in an anchor rope more than eight metres under the water. Although still very active, the turtle which was thought to be female also had a length of fishing line hanging out of its mouth and wrapped around its right front flipper.

Tacker is going really well and was recently introduced to two other male Feathertail Gliders called Marko and Jacob.

When they were first introduced to each other they were very shy and stayed in their own little corners, and then slowly but surely they would work up the courage to venture closer to each other.

What animals do you work with?

I have worked in many divisions including the Taronga Wildlife Hospital, Bird division, Australian mammals, Asian division and Reptile Division I have worked with so many different animals at the zoo during my career.

As a vet nurse I get to look after every thing from tiny native mice to elephants.