There was a buzz in the air as our guests arrived, cameras clicking and smiles all round. With the spectacular view of Sydney Harbour in the background, this was clearly going to be an exciting event as the finalists for Tourism Australia’s The Best Jobs in the World competition joined keepers in the Bird Show amphitheatre. To greet them, there was myself and some other members of the Taronga team, including a Diamond Python, Short-beaked Echidna, White-tailed Cockatoo and my counterpart “Nangaw”, the Powerful Owl.

Taronga Zoo celebrates NAIDOC week for three weeks every year, providing an opportunity for visitors to discover more about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their culture and their connections to animals.

Seal Keeper Ady recently returned from a voyage to Antarctica. She was onboard a cruise ship sharing her passion and knowledge of the amazing animals that call this frozen continent home. Ady said that there were so many once in a life time experiences, but her breath was absolutely taken away when she stood Salisbury Plains surrounded by hundreds of thousands of King Penguins. See some of the incredible photos and hear about her adventure to Antarctica here.

The Cross River Gorilla is a highly elusive species that lives on the Cross River that straddles the Nigeria and Cameroon Border. Sadly this species is on the cusp of extinction with the biggest threat being hunting. Taronga financially contributes to a project to protect this magnificent animal. During 2012 over 35 patrols removed more than 3000 snares and 1000 bullet casings. Read the full update on this project here.