Claire Geister

Keeper, Native Fauna & Ungulates, Monarto Zoo, South Australia

How long have you been working as a zookeeper?

Almost 5 years as a keeper at Monarto Zoo.

I also spent 6 months as a vet nurse in private practise immediately after completing TAFE studies.

How did you get into zookeeping as a profession?

Through my tertiary studies (Certificate II in Animal & Laboratory Techniques) I was fortunate to undertake two weeks of work experience at Monarto Zoo. I made a good impression on the keepers and when a casual position came available they chose me to fill it. I am now a full time keeper.

In the meantime I had been working as a piggery attendant which gave me experience in caring for larger animals. This has proven very beneficial at Monarto Zoo.

What do you love most about your job?

I enjoy being involved in the daily care of such amazing and precious species. I also appreciate sharing the knowledge I have gained of certain species with eager members of the public.

Hand-feeding carrots to giraffe as the sun sets on an afternoon of raking their living quarters is also pretty special.

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

I hand-raised a Mainland Tammar Wallaby, ‘Leo’ from 180gms to 1kg which was challenging and sleep depriving but incredibly rewarding to know I was physically helping to increase the numbers of these species. Leo was one of the Tammar Wallabies released to Innes National Park in 2008.

The wildest moment of my career would be re-capturing Leo on our most recent trips to Innes National Park knowing that he is surviving out in the wild after I carried him around in his woollen pouch for months is such an awesome feeling.

What’s the next step for the program?

A meeting will be held with the Mainland Tammar Recovery Team in the near future to discuss and confirm the next steps. Most importantly is field work to be undertaken to monitor the released animals and ensure the population continues to thrive. At Monarto Zoo we will be carefully managing the diversity of our captive population to allow us the possibility of releasing more animals which are genetically different to those already in the wild.