Wendy Gleen

What animals do you work with?

The Nocturnal House; small native mammals

How long have you been working as a zookeeper?

I have worked as a Keeper for 17 years (eeek!)

How did you get into zookeeping as a profession?

I came pretty much straight from Uni. I'd been an ardent conservationist since I was a child, having seen my local bushland become swallowed up by suburbia, and the abundant wildlife slowly disappear. I made a conscious decision that a meaningful career working to help threatened species was more important to me than great wealth!

What do you love most about your job?

The opportunity it provides for educating Sydney-siders about the wildlife living on our doorstep. We are SO lucky to still have species such as gliders, wallabies and antechinus living close by- but as they're nocturnal and shy, a lot of people don't realise they're there. These animals really need our help, and being able to personally introduce zoo visitors to a glider or potoroo (who possess immense personal charm) provides a wonderful opportunity to convince people that they're worth saving - and thus as a consequence you're also saving the biodiversity inherent in their habitat.

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

Adventures are almost a daily occurrence, so it's hard to pick just one incident. - one example from the past is:

Being leapt upon by an extremely amorous emu whilst bending down to pick up some feed dishes - and being unable to fend him off due to cumbersome wet weather gear, and an attack of the giggles. Luckily it was before opening hours, so I did not have an audience.