Meet Ellen Wilson, a Taronga graduate who now works as a Keeper and Guest Experience Officer at Taronga Zoo Sydney. 

Ellen grew up in Warragamba and first became part of the Taronga family during a work experience placement. This is where she found out about the YATZ (Youth at the Zoo) program. She knew it was something she wanted to be a part of and joined straight away. Ellen commenced her Certificate II Animal Studies with Taronga in 2008, and then completed her Cert III Captive Animals. “I loved the variety. We had different trainers, which was great to hear their stories and experiences. As part of my course, I was also able to get practical placements in different keeping sections across Taronga. This really gave me great insight into working with different groups of animals and helped me decide what animals l wanted to work with in the future” says Ellen of her experience as a Taronga student.

Since completing the Cert II Animal Studies and Cert III Captive Animal courses, Ellen has secured work as a Keeper Volunteer, Retail Assistant and Guest Experience Officer (GEO). She was also successful in being appointed as a casual Keeper on the Australian Fauna and Carnivore teams, now working predominantly on the Carnivore section. However, she still does regular Guest Experience shifts and work on programs like Keeper for a Day, Zoomobiles, Zoo Adventures, Roar and Snore and Zoosnooz. 

Ellen’s current favourite Taronga resident is Mr Hobbs, the Sun Bear. “He has overcome so many barriers in his life. I have had the opportunity to work with him and he was the first animal to recognise me. Many animals recognise the work uniform, but I came in one day on a day off (not in uniform) and as I approached the Sun Bear exhibit, Mr Hobbs came right up to the fence near me. It was quite a special moment.”

The advice Ellen would give to those who are thinking about a career in the animal care industry:

“No matter your age, there are many ways you can get involved at Taronga - from Work Experience, YATZ, TTI, and Volunteering. All these programs are amazing and really allow you to get a sense of what working with animals is really like. Take any advice that people are willing to give you, show initiative and always try to better yourself. Lastly, be persistent! Don’t be discouraged if you don’t get a volunteering or paid position on your first attempt. Many keepers I know have had to try multiple times to get a casual keeping position, myself included.  But trust me, it is worth it!”