What we do

Kia Ora! My name is Maddy and I have been a Mammals Keeper at Te Nukuao Wellington Zoo for the past 3 and a half years. We have a large exotic mammals section which was formed by joining our Carnivore and Herbivore sections together in recent years, so I have been lucky to have the opportunity to work with a big variety of species in a short time. The species that have really driven my passion for this profession are our Red Pandas, Sumatran Tigers, African Lions, Malayan Sun Bear, and Giraffe! I love spending my time doing animal training and enriching animals’ days, which is in turn incredibly enriching for me. I am very grateful to have been voted onto the ASZK committee at this year’s election and am especially excited to represent the smaller zoo community in Aotearoa. I’m driven by a passion for animal care and welfare and am excited to begin connecting with others so that we can all grow and succeed in these areas across the entire Australasian region.

Peta’s love and passion for wildlife started well before her nursing career, completing a Bachelor of Applied Science in Wildlife Biology with her career aim to always be actively involved in conservation and animal welfare. She completed her Vet Nursing qualification not long after and has been veterinary nursing for 24 years. Peta started out in a small animal practice that admitted hundreds of wild animals yearly, sparking a passion specifically for nursing our native wildlife. This passion has led to an exciting career veterinary nursing in the zoological and wildlife industry, including working at RSPCA, Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital, Alice Springs Desert Park and Animals Asia’s Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre. In 2013 Peta successfully gained a senior veterinary nurse position at Perth Zoo before moving into the supervisor role, which she has now been in for the past 11 years. She is passionate about providing the best possible care to her patients and passing on that knowledge to new generations of zoo and wildlife veterinary nurses. Amongst many of Peta’s favourite animals in the wombat .

Hi, I’m Melvin Nathan and I am the Invertebrate Coordinator and work within the Birds, Invertebrates & Pookila precinct at Melbourne Zoo, Zoos Victoria. I specialise in invertebrate husbandry and conservation and oversee daily operations and breeding programs within Melbourne Zoo’s invertebrate department, including the Butterfly House and the Lord Howe Island Stick Insect program. One of the highlights of my role is working with the Lord Howe Island Stick Insect through captive breeding and research. My passion lies in giving a voice to often overlooked species and helping people understand the important role invertebrates play in our ecosystems. I’m also passionate about strengthening connections within the zookeeping community. I first became involved with ASZK after attending the Adelaide conference and have since contributed across several areas including social media, husbandry manual coordination, and now fundraising. As Fundraising Coordinator, I help coordinate initiatives that raise funds for animals and organisations that support animals in need, while also supporting keeper development and scholarships across the region. I’m always keen to connect, share ideas and learn from others in the industry — often over a beer or two.

I have been a member of ASZK since the early 90s and a general committee member for the past 6ys. I started volunteering and my local zoo when I was 12 yrs old and have been very fortunate since then to have worked at several zoological facilities around the world as well as projects in the wild, I am a big advocate for ASZK and ICZ conferences as it provides a great platform for Zookeepers to share experiences, learn and network with fellow keepers. Being a member of ASZK has proven a great way to develop myself and help others in this industry and I look forward to the continued evolution of zookeeping as we provide the best for our animals using nature as our teacher.

Jo is a senior Marine Mammal keeper at Taronga Zoo. She has worked in the animal industry for over forty years. Prior to becoming a Zoo Keeper, she spent several years Vet nursing, volunteering for Wires thirty years, and in hospitality. She has worked at Taronga Zoo for twenty-nine years in several sections of the Zoo including Carnivores and Australian Mammals. As well as Zookeeping, Jo currently works on the Roar and Snore plus Keeper For A Day adult programs. Over the many years Penguins have become her true love and focus being involved for many years in the successful breeding program for little Penguins and in the Little Penguin Recovery program around the Sydney region. More recently she has been involved in Breeding Fiordland Crested Penguins, ‘A World First’ and travelled to New Zealand numerous times and to participate in the Tawaki Research Project for the Fiordland Crested Penguins at Milford Sound. She has attended and presented at Conferences in Australia and overseas, including International Penguin Conferences, ICZ Conferences, Enrichment Conferences, ABMA Conference, ASZK Conferences plus several Animal Training Conferences. And now as part of her life’s work has travelled around the world to discover every single Penguin species in the wild, which has now been achieved.

Benny has worked in the wildlife industry for the past 7 years and is currently co-managing the team of 50 Zookeepers and Wildlife Students at Gumbuya World Theme Park in Gippsland, Victoria. Within the role, Benny is also heavily involved in exhibit design and construction, social media, as well as his key role as Wildlife Encounter Specialist both in park and outside media opportunities. Benny brings a wealth of varied experience to his role, having worked and travelled extensively across Australia and Europe. He has experience in everything from hospitality, labouring, farming, truck driving and playing semi-professional football through to stints as a photographer, adventure camp leader, snake catcher, handyman and running his own small business offering experiential wild encounters and wilderness survival. Now well established within the Wildlife community including a continuing role within ASZK, Benny is keen to continue to provide opportunities for his growing team at Gumbuya World and bring the dynamic facility up alongside the best providers of wildlife presentation, education and conservation. “We’ve started from humble beginnings at Gumbuya and we are such a unique facility, that the journey ahead of us is whatever we can dare to imagine. We’ve taken small steps to establish ourselves as a high-quality facility and we have begun to attract and even produce some of the industries’ best Zookeepers and Wildlife professionals. It’s an exciting time ahead!” Benny and his wife Fi reside in a small country town in western Gippsland with their 2 teenagers Ari & Eagle.

I’m a zookeeper in the Australasia section at Australia Zoo, working with a mix of iconic species including Tasmanian devils, dingoes, koalas and Asian small-clawed otters. I love the variety the role brings, whether it’s day-to-day husbandry, training sessions or coming up with new enrichment ideas to keep animals engaged and expressing natural behaviours. My journey into the industry started in South Africa, where I completed an apprenticeship as a safari guide. That’s where my passion for wildlife and conservation really took off, learning firsthand about local ecosystems and the challenges they face. In 2022, I made the move from Germany to Australia to continue working with animals, starting at Aussie Ark before finding my place at Australia Zoo. I’m still fairly new to the industry, which is exactly why I’m so excited to be part of ASZK. I’m passionate about representing early-career keepers, building connections and creating opportunities for people to learn, grow and feel supported. I’m especially interested in collaboration, fresh ideas and making sure animal welfare is always at the heart of what we do.

Lauren began her zookeeping career in 2012 and has since worked at several facilities across Australasia, including Perth Zoo, Wellington Zoo, and as a veterinary nurse at Taronga Wildlife Hospital. In 2026, Lauren returned to Perth Zoo to take on the role of Acting Senior Technical Officer - Carnivores & Ungulates, predominantly working with Asian Carnivores. She has been fortunate to work with a wide variety of native and exotic species in a range of settings, both in situ and ex situ, and has a particular fondness for bears, rhinos, gibbons and channel-billed cuckoos! Lauren holds a strong interest in geriatric animal care and animal training, with a focus on promoting optimal welfare outcomes across the lifespan through continually improved monitoring and management practices. Lauren attended her first ASZK conference in Cairns in 2022, and has since been involved as a member of the organising committees for the Perth conference in 2024 and the International Congress of Zookeepers conference held in Wellington NZ in 2025. She joined the ASZK General Committee in 2025 and is currently part of the ASZK fundraising team. She is passionate about collaboration within the zoological industry and believes that strong professional networks are key to continually improving animal welfare and conservation outcomes. Lauren values the role ASZK plays in connecting animal care professionals across Australasia and is committed to supporting and celebrating the work of her peers, and encouraging growth within the industry.

I have been involved in the zoological, wildlife, and conservation industry since 2007 where I began my career working with marine taxa and wildlife rehabilitation, I then transitioned to working with aquatics and reptiles. Currently, I am employed as a Senior Ectotherm Keeper at Auckland Zoo where I work with a variety of reptiles, amphibians, fish and invertebrates as well as support a number of the zoo’s conservation programs, both in-situ and ex-situ. I also support the International Congress of Zookeepers (ICZ) as a graphic designer on a voluntary basis. In recent years, I have been supporting ASZK by designing various logos, including the Perth annual conference logo, the 50th anniversary logos, and the sub- committee Zoo and Wildlife Veterinary Nurses Australasia’s logo. I have also led fundraising initiatives to support ASZK's efforts. Additionally, I was part of the organization committee for the Chelonia Husbandry and Conservation Workshop hosted by Auckland Zoo. These contributions reflect my commitment to and belief in ASZK's mission, which has significantly influenced and benefited my career in recent years. As a newly elected committee member I aim to help ASZK continue to reach, support, and advance zookeepers within the region.

I started working at Cleland Wildlife Park in January 2022 after completing a Certificate III in Captive Animals (Zookeeping) in 2020/2021. I had previously worked and volunteered at other Australian natives facilities and with public animal encounter work as well as wildlife rescue for over 5 years. At Cleland, I have been very lucky to work across most of our taxa and gain knowledge with many species but my main passion has always been birds. I have just recently gained the opportunity to become Lead Wildlife Keeper on our Bird Round and am right in the thick of it after returning from ICZ 2025. From the very first moments of the ASZK 2022 Conference, I knew I had stumbled into or onto something incredible. The networking and learning opportunities, the excursions and the chance to travel to Cairns were barely scratching the surface of what was happening. It was something really special to see the committee in action, pulling together an amazing event for the benefit of fellow zookeepers. I knew then that I had to keep going to these conferences and by the 2024 ASZK Conference, I realised I wanted to be a part of this team. The conferences, the resources, Thylacinus and fundraising that ASZK does, among so much more, is so valuable to this profession and I want to be able to share that with others.

We will learn more about Dan soon.

We will learn more about Phoebe soon.