Brett Backhouse

Section/animals worked with

Bird Department for 8 years, a few months on ungulates and Children Zoo

How long have you been working as a zookeeper/vet/vet nurse?

Since December 2000

How did you get into zookeeping/vet/vet nursing as a profession?

I have always kept birds at home, and always had a passion for them. I started with short term contacts at the Adelaide Zoo and worked really hard, and got a great result out of it - to be a full time keeper!

What do you love most about your job?

Being outdoors and working with vast amounts of animals.

What has been the wildest moment of your career so far?

Travelling for 7 months in South America while volunteering for various Macaw projects in Ecuador and Brazil.

How are the Mallee Fowl chicks doing? What's the next step for them?

Chicks are going great, and have grown heaps. The plan will be to determine if they are male or female, and then move them up to Monarto to be placed into breeding situations.