Simone Bayly
Section/animals worked with
Primate Department, predominately with orangutans and siamangs
How long have you been working as a zookeeper/vet/vet nurse?
I started working as a zookeeper in 2000 and started at Adelaide Zoo in 2006 on the primate department.
How did you get into zookeeping/vet/vet nursing as a profession?
I started volunteering at a The National Aquarium and Wildlife Park when I was undergoing my science degree, majoring in Zoology and Ecology, at Australian National University.
Towards the end of my degree the wildlife park turned into The National Zoo and Aquarium in Canberra. I started doing weekend and holiday keeping and volunteer work.
The week after I finished my degree I started working full time as a zookeeper.
I earned my way to head keeper at National Zoo and Aquarium until leaving in December 2006 to specialise on the Primate Department at Adelaide Zoo.
What do you love most about your job?
The daily connections you can make with the animals you look after and really getting to know all their personalities. I am really interested in animal behaviour, it fascinates me and I love watching and learning about their lives.
Also being able to pass on a passion to members of the public and educate them with information about what is happening in the environment around us. Orang-utans are my real passion and I like to try to inform people about their plight in the wild and how they can help.
It is nice to know that after all the hard work you have to do, in all kinds of weather, an animal will give you one look and it makes it all worth while and you know that you are doing what ever you can to make their live as good as it can be in captivity.
What has been the wildest moment of your career so far?
There has been so many!
Rehabilitating "Lucky" the sole koala survivor from Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve after the Canberra firestorm was unbelievable. It was lots of hard work but so rewarding when she was able to go back.
Having a bond with an animal, even if you have not seen them in years, when you go back they are so excited to see you and it is like you have never left! Last time I went back to the National Zoo a Black Capped Capuchin Monkey that I had had a great relationship with started screaming with happiness even though it had been years since I had seen him last.
One amazing thing that I am doing with Karta our female orang-utan is teaching her how to be a mother. She was never able to learn how to care for young from her mum when she was younger so I have now tried to take over that role! I am currently caring for a stuffed orang-utan doll so she can watch and learn how to carry and care for her own young. Eventually we will progress to her having her own doll and getting rewarded for caring for it correctly. We even have keepers that have babies of their own coming in to breast feed in front of her! It is a very long process but hopefully all the hard work will eventually pay off for her and she can be a successful mum.