Nick Boyle

Which animals do you work with?

I work in the Marine Mammals division where we have 5 seal species (Australian sea lion, Australian fur seal, New Zealand fur seal, California sea lion and Leopard seals), 2 species of penguins (Little and Fiordland crested) and 1 species of pelican.

How long have you been working as a zookeeper?

I have been a zoo keeper for 6 years now.

How did you get into zookeeping as a profession?

I grew up on a farm, looking after a variety of animals, and developed a passion for this type of work. I developed an interest in the marine environment, and started free diving, fishing, scuba diving and generally just a lot of time in and around the surf. I studied Marine Science and Zoology at the University of New South Wales. I worked as an aquarist looking after fish, seals and reptiles at Sydney Aquarium before being employed at Taronga Zoo in 2007.

What do you love most about your job?

I love working in a physical job where I am constantly outdoors and regularly in the water. Because the work that I do is continually changing it is also mentally stimulating, not to mention fun! I really enjoy building a rapport with the seals, developing mutual trust, and working on that relationship to train show behaviours and cooperative behaviours like Kira's ultrasound. The most rewarding part of my job has been rescuing and rehabilitating compromised animals, whether they are seals, penguins or turtles. Being part of a team responsible for giving an animal a second chance at life is always a memorable experience.

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

Probably hand-feeding large sharks and salt water crocodiles, especially the first few times I did it. Although the sharks I worked with, (Grey Nurse sharks), are very gentle and do not attack humans, they still have a great presence because of their sheer size and power. Restraining sick and injured seals for medical treatment always gets the adrenalin pumping as well. We have seals here at Taronga that can weigh up to 600kg, so restraining one just with manpower can be a little nerve racking. This is why, where possible, we like to train cooperative behaviours for such procedures.

Update on Kira's pregnancy:

Finding out that Kira was pregnant was definitely an exciting moment. We had our suspicions, but to confirm it means that we can start putting the appropriate husbandry procedures into practice. I was excited because it is important for the conservation of this species that we learn as much as we can about the nature of their breeding and nurturing habits. It is also important to inspire people to do what they can to ensure wild seals aren't put at any unnecessary risks because of the impact of mankind. I was also very proud of the way Kira handled the procedure and tolerated the amount of people and the duration of the ultrasound. We had worked very hard at helping her to cope with all these stimuli, but she far exceeded my expectations. In the upcoming months we will be monitoring the development of her pup, and discussing moving her to a suitable 'pupping pool'.