Taronga Zoo is a place to make memories and we know many of our visitors have a long, happy, history of visiting us. We had a special chat with Nic Whitfield about her Taronga memories. She tells us about visiting as a little kid and how this year she’s celebrating her 20-year work anniversary at Taronga! Don’t miss Nic sharing her top tips for the best family day out at the Zoo this summer (If anyone would know – it’s her!).

For me it quite literally feels like I’ve grown up at Taronga which I feel very fortunate to be able to say. As a child for as long as I can remember I made the yearly pilgrimage to the Zoo with my family. Sometimes it was just my Mum, sister and Aunty and other times it was with extra extended family in toe.  It was always something I looked forward to and treasured – I have always had a natural curiosity and fascination with animals and these visits only strengthened that affinity.

Then when I was studying my Masters of Wildlife Health & Population Management at Sydney University I saw a job ad for a casual Roar and Snore host position and I applied as I figured I had nothing to lose. I vividly remember the first time I put on the khaki and matching shirt with the infamous platypus emblem and the rest as they say is history. Something ignited in me after working my first Roar and Snore shift – like a switch was flicked. This is what I wanted to do – share my passion and knowledge of animals with people. It is very special to share the Zoo and see its magic unfold. Seeing the light, wonder and joy fill a guests eyes is still one the favourite parts of my job.

Fast forward 20 years later and I still work at Taronga and am in a role where it’s our job to share the story of wildlife and Taronga, and to create moments of magic, connection and learning for our guests. I now also have two beautiful daughters of my own and seeing their own curiosity and wonder of wildlife being ignited and fostered when they visit the Zoo is truly special.

As a child I was always fascinated by the beauty and wonder of wildlife and nature. I loved discovering everything about them. I devoured animal books, watched David Attenborough documentaries and was pretty obsessed with Dian Fossey and Jane Goodall so chimpanzees and gorillas were always the first animals I wanted to see on a Zoo visit. I would happily sit and watch them and their interactions with each other for ages. Without fail we would always go to the Seal Show and I also loved the giraffe and that iconic outlook over the harbour.

However, for me it is not one particular memory of visiting that stands out but more how my Zoo visits made me feel and how they continued to nurture my connection and captivation with wildlife. 

My Zoo visits were a yearly tradition, something I looked forward to, an epic sense of fun and adventure but also a sense of belonging in spending quality time and experiences with my loved ones, plus I always got an ice cream as a treat!

And as I reflect I can’t help but think these visits ultimately played some part in the person I am now. Which is ultimately one of the roles of Zoos – creating lifelong connections and transformative experiences for our guests to care for and help wildlife and nature.

As a parent one of my favourite things is that you get to experience a new world of ‘firsts’ through your children’s eyes. So, in many ways I’ve gotten to see and experience the Zoo all over again and in different and new ways, not once but twice through each of my daughters.

I have always been proud to tell people I work at Taronga but I’m not going to lie – the bragging rights increased exponentially once I had kids. Although they regularly remind me that my job is not as cool as a keeper – way to keep me grounded. Regardless they have had some pretty amazing access and experiences at the Zoo and certainly get to visit way more than once a year.

In terms of traditions I’m in control and call the shots on so much their lives that on our Zoo visits I like to hand over the reins to the girls and let them decide where we go and what animals we are going to visit together. It is amazing to see their focus and favourites shift and change from visit to visit and given my job at the Zoo I’m genuinely intrigued about what experiences, exhibits and installations (new and old) resonate and what fall short. What do they notice and what do they miss altogether? We do always seem to see either Free Flight Birds or Seals for the Wild and we always make sure we visit an animal we didn’t get a chance to see the visit before or that we haven’t visited in ages. I also love how as my kids get older, they get new and different experiences and learnings from exhibits and experiences that they have seen many times.

A recent highlight earlier this year was to return to where it all began and stay overnight with my family on a Roar and Snore. I’ve worked 100s of nights as a host creating magic and memories for many families so to be able to experience that magic with my own family was a pinch myself moment. Needless to say, we had a blast!

Taronga has changed a lot in its 100+ years. Even in my time at Taronga the focus and advances in wildlife conservation, animal welfare, science, research, education and sustainability are significant – we are global leaders in these fields and are making profound and positive impacts in our vision to secure a shared future for wildlife and people. Taronga has always been a wonderful day out and this is unchanged – what has shifted is ensuring it is meaningful, educational and hopefully empowers people to want to help and take action for wildlife. The situation is dire for many animals and there is plenty of doom and gloom. Personally, I am committed to ensure that when guests visit Taronga they experience an immersive and amazing day where they make real connections, spark their curiosity through learning something, and provide hope by empowering them to make a difference to help protect wildlife.

I’m not sure about expert – I’m a lifelong learner. I’ve learnt so much over my time at the Zoo and continue to learn something new most days. What is becoming more and more apparent to me in this modern digital world as a busy working Mum where it seems everything is scheduled within an inch of its life is to make a conscious and vested effort to SLOW down and be as present and in the moment as possible. So really take your time to explore and be curious while at the Zoo - embrace your inner kid and have some fun.

Be sure to grab both a kids map and folded Zoo map – the kids map is fun way for kids to engage with the Zoo and usually has some fun activities and the main Zoo map has everything you need to help you on your day – there are some great trails to see and these are marked in different colours on the map and all of them lead from and return back to the main Zoo path marked by green dots. When you get to an animal exhibit take it in – what can you see? What is the habitat? If you can’t see an animal immediately it doesn’t mean it is not there? It is up high? Is it down low? Is it in the water? In the trees? Doing a good job at watching you the whole time while camouflaging?

Make sure you see a presentation – the animals at the Zoo are amazing but so are the people and it is a wonderful way to see and learn about the Zoo and the animals we care for – the Keeper Talk & Presentation times and locations are on the map. Have a blast!