What is something people don’t know about you?
I once tamed a wild sabre-toothed tiger.
How did you get involved with caring for such unique animals?
With a background in palaeontology, I knew a thing or two about the care that these wonderful creatures would need.
But they have been teaching me so much more every day.
For example, I had no idea that a woolly rhino would be so cantankerous towards me, yet be a snuggle pot with our other keeping staff.
What would your last meal be?
The one that I choke on most likely…but if I had to choose, it would be a MEGA salad with heaps of olives… I REALLLY love olives.
What event, past, present or future, would you like to witness?
I would love to witness the release of critically endangered animals back into the wild in sustainable numbers…it may be too late for the beautiful beasts I look after now, but maybe the not so MEGA beasts of today still have a chance.
How did you end up working at Healesville Sanctuary?
I was a palaeontologist working at a museum in Queensland and when I heard that Healesville had found some remaining beasts I got on a plane and knocked on their door incessantly until they gave me my dream job! Tenacity paid off!
What is your favourite television show?
Easy peasy – David Attenborough’s Museum Alive!
What six guests, dead or alive, would you invite to a dinner party?
Dr Mary Schweitzer (discovered t-rex blood cells), Sarah Werning (palaeontologist), Mary Anning (fossil hunter), David Attenborough, Dr Jane Goodall and…David Bowie (just to shake it up a bit).
What has been your most embarrassing moment?
Admitting that I once ate 1 kilogram of olives in one sitting.
What’s the most rewarding part of your job?
Seeing the faces of our visitors, young and old, as they see these wonderful beasts in all their glory.
What’s the worst part of your job?
Let’s just say that the mammoths eat a LOT of food every day and eventually that food comes out in vast quantities…and the smell would outlast extinction!
What was the first or best concert you attended?
First concert: Dorothy the Dinosaur LIVE in Concert. Best concert: Dorothy the Dinosaur LIVE in Concert – I have no words to describe it!
Visit www.zoo.org.au/healesville/whats-on/mega-keeper-adventure to learn how to be a MegaBeast keeper.
