Michael McFadden

What animals do you work with?

I work in the Herpetofauna division working with the zoo's reptile and amphibian collection.

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

I have been at Taronga Zoo in the Herpetofauna department for over 6 years.

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

From an early age, I have kept reptiles as pets, gradually building a collection and my experience with time. Keeping and breeding various species was a passion of mine. I also joined WIRES, caring for sick and injured wildlife, and became licensed as a snake catcher, removing problem snakes from residential houses.

After school, I studied Zoology at university and completed an Honours degree on the endangered Regent Honeyeater. Soon after finishing uni, I applied for a job at the zoo and was successful in gaining casual employment and my career has stemmed from there.

What do you love most about your job?

The best part of my job is being able to work with some of our most endangered fauna, with the opportunity to work towards preventing their extinction in the wild. In our department, this is best illustrated through our endangered frog programs, including the Southern Corroboree Frog and the Booroolong Frog. It is a major achievement and brings much satisfaction to succeed at breeding these species or learn new information on the biology of these frogs.

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

This would have to be spotlighting for reptiles and frogs along a stream in a Malaysian forest. In 2008, whilst in Malaysia to co-facilitate an amphibian husbandry and conservation workshop, we had the opportunity to do a nocturnal search. We found animals like flying dragons, giant geckos, arboreal toads and flying frogs, making it a wild experience.