Recently four members of Roots & Shoots attended the annual conference at the Perth Zoo on a chilly but sunny day. They heard from vet nurse Kate about the diversity of her job. She explained everything from dealing with very small animals such as frogs to extremely large animals like the elephants. Kate told us about her onsite and offsite responsibilities and how she helped with a recent dolphin tangled in fishing line and a leopard seal resting on a Perth beach. She also said that to be a vet nurse you must love cleaning because she has to do a lot of that.

They heard from Katie who is a zoo keeper in the primate section. She told us that her role is more than just cuddling animals. Cleaning, feeding and enrichment activities take up most of her days. Katie also explained the importance of observation.

The students listened to talks at the orangutan enclosure and the male elephant enclosure, had a self-guided tour of the zoo, and heard about the activities other schools are doing to improve sustainability in their school.

Natalia Adams

Roots & Shoots Coordinator