Zoe Ridge’s day is pretty typical, for a zoo keeper. There are the early starts, the cleaning of exhibits, the feeding of animals, weighing, providing her charges with enrichment and the educational talks. The path she took to becoming a zoo keeper, though, that was a little more unusual, and had a few extra steps along the way.
To become a keeper, you generally need a Cert IV in Captive Animal Management from TAFE and a lot of volunteering. It’s one thing to learn the theory of catching a kangaroo, but it’s something else entirely when faced with a large marsupial, which can jump! However, before you even start out, you need to know what you want to do and becoming a keeper was the last thing on Zoe’s mind. “I knew I was going to get into science. I always loved science when I was at school... I studied a Bachelor of Zoology and I kind of thought that I’d go into the research side.”
But as Dr Ian Malcolm from Jurassic Park would say, ‘Life finds a way’, and a job opened up nearby at Symbio in Guest Services. Zoe applied and loved the work. It wasn’t until five years into that role that she began to think that keeping might be something she’d like to try and so she added volunteering to the mix and has now been employed as a keeper for a couple of years. “When I first started, I didn’t really know where I wanted to be. I’m a mammal person so I got put on Natives [section] and I’ve never looked back. Natives has been my heart since I’ve started.”
And on her arm too. She has a brand-new tattoo of a koala, an animal that has become her favourite. There’s a lot to love about koalas, including the fact that they have two thumbs and that the joeys eat their mum’s pap, a special type of poo to build up their gut bacteria. Zoe laughs: “When I do my talks, I love throwing that fact in and watching everyone’s faces.”
Even though she works as a keeper, Zoe continues to work in Guest Services two days a week. “My story is pretty different to a lot of other people. I think being in the Guest Services section helps me a lot,” she says.
Somehow she also manages to fit netball and board games into her week, along with a healthy dose of reality TV. I hate to use the word ‘journey’ but in light of the reality TV it seems only fitting. Zoe’s journey to where she is now isn’t usual, but it’s made her the amazing keeper that she is today.
“I don’t know if I’d ever go back to zoology now that I’ve started zoo keeping. I love what I’m doing.”
Symbio Wildlife Park is an advertiser in the Flame's monthly magazine.
The zoo is open daily 9.30am-5pm | 7-11 Lawrence Hargrave Dr, Helensburgh NSW 2508. Phone (02) 4294 1244 or visit symbiozoo.com.au
