Emma Yengi

Section/animals worked with:

Primate and Native mammal section supervisor, however have worked on most areas in the zoo.

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

Approximately 13 years at Adelaide Zoo.

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

I started working as Veterinary Nurse at a private vet clinic first (5yrs), then as an animal attendant at Cleland Wildlife park (4yrs) before starting at the Adelaide Zoo 13 yrs ago.

I originally transferred to Adelaide Zoo on a 4 month exchange from Cleland Wildlife Park and never went back.

What do you love most about your job?

I love developing close relationships with the animals.

I love working out doors

I love interpreting the animal world to others who visit the zoo

I love making a difference where I can to improve the lives of the animals in my care.

I love working in a team environment with others who are passionate about the animal world.

I love the practical nature of zoo keeping and that you need to be good at so many things, animal behaviour, observations, training, nutrition, maintenance, horticulture, public speaking, media, etc etc

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

One of my best experiences was bringing two female Western Lowland Gorillas from Taronga Zoo to Adelaide and looking after them for 15 months.

We developed some sensitive behind the scenes tours in Adelaide for visitors to meet them up close which was an amazing experience.

After their stay at Adelaide was over I accompanied one of the Gorillas to Duisburg Zoo

in Germany where I stayed for 10 days to settle her in to her new home.

This was the pinnacle of my career.