Ady D'Ettorre, Senior Marina Mammals Keeper
Taronga Zoo
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What part of the zoo are you in?
Seals and Penguins.
How long have you been working as a zookeeper at Taronga Zoo?
I have been at Taronga Zoo for 23 years, with 21 of those years being on the Marine Mammals department. I am the longest standing Marine Mammal keeper at Taronga Zoo.
How did you get into zoo keeping nursing as a profession?
When I was in year 12 I was tossing up whether to follow a career in the animal care industry or in graphic arts. I arranged my own work experience as a vet nurse. After doing work experience there they offered me a temporary job over the Christmas holidays and then that turned into a full-time job. I also started to study vet nursing and in the third year of that I picked up the zookeepers certificate. While I was studying that I had to do a number of assignments that involved me coming into the zoo and observing animals. I always ended up choosing seals to study and so consequently ended up getting to know the animals and the keepers.
I was finally offered a job here at the zoo, mainly for the fact that I had vet nursing skills, because back then the zoo didn't actually employ vet nurses - the keepers helped the vets. After two years I was successful in getting a job on the marine mammals department and that is where I have been ever since.
What do you love most about your job?
It has to be training seals, working one on one with my seals. The ability to work side by side with my animals is unbelievable. In 23 years I've never once woken up in the morning thinking that my job is boring.
What has been the wildest moment of your career so far?
A few years ago I spent a week amongst 6, 000 seals. I went down to Seal Rocks near Phillip Island in Victoria to do some observational work on the Australian Fur Seals down there. It was definitely wild. Getting off the boat, in gum boots, wading through the water and being attacked by a 360kg bull ... unbelievable.
The other highlight of my career so far would be the Leopard Seal rescues and releases - very, very special.
Animal Update
Casey has been progressing in leaps and bounds. He is now a healthy weight of around 150 kilograms and guzzles over six kilograms of fish a day. His wounds have completely healed and he has just finished moulting into his new coat. Casey is currently being trained for his move into the newest exhibit, Great Southern Oceans, where he will live with the other Leopard Seals Brooke and Sabine.