ZOOLOGY CENTRE
What's happening?
It was another great to start to the year with a lot of excitement from the students reuniting with their animals after virtually a year in lock down and then the Christmas break.
This year we welcome Sue Samphier, who is Coordinating the Zoology Centre and has taken on the role with great enthusiasm. Sue comes with years of experience in wildlife care and in Zoos and is looking forward to working alongside the students in the year ahead.
We also welcome Cleo and Leo our crocodiles to collection. While their enclosure is yet to be decorated they are enjoying the space to spread and swim and have settled into their new enclosure well.
Our trainee Zoo Keeper program is up and running once again with more than 80 Year 7’s signing up and showing a lot of enthusiasm for the program.
The Junior Keepers didn’t take long to get in the tasks set for them as part of the skills training needed to care for our reptiles and amphibians which number nearly 400 animals. With so many animals it is not an easy task keeping up with all the water bowls that need cleaning and topping up, preparing food and feeding the animals, not to mention all the cleaning and every other job required to keep the animals happy and healthy. Thankfully, the Junior Keepers have taken to the tasks like they have been doing it for years.
One of Junior Keepers, Blake Hendrickson, has worked incredibly hard and was the first to complete the full range of tasks in record time and is the first to join the Zoo Keeper team in 2022. We’re looking forward to seeing Blake mentor others and develop as an experienced keeper over time.
Thursday’s are our SNAKE FEEDING DAY and the Junior Keepers jumped at the opportunity to participate in the feeding and did a great job, making sure every snake was well fed. Animal handling is the most popular activity and the skills they are learning in the Zoology Centre are valuable skills for future job opportunities in animal institutions.
We now have several past students and volunteers working in various Zoos and Wildlife Parks around Victoria, and we have great expectations for what the Zoology Centre has to offer our students in training and experience that will make them a standout to other institutions.
Our new enclosures are yet to built, but we are making some progress there and we hope to be able to reveal more in the coming months. This year looks to be our most exciting year yet, so keep an eye on the newsletter with more updates to come.
Marcus Whitby
Keeper Profile
Cooper Hills: Senior Keeper
Age:16
How long have you been a keeper in the Reptile House?
I have been a keeper in the program for 4 years.
Which animals do you enjoy working with the most?
I really enjoy working with the larger monitor species such as Lace Monitors and Spencer’s Monitors. I find them a really interesting animal to work with. They are the largest animals we have in the room and require experience and skill to work with them safely. They are an intelligent animal and it takes time to read their behaviour and know how to respond. They are also very receptive to training which is something that I’m interested in learning more about and trying on the Lace Monitor over time. I enjoy working with the Lace Monitors so much, that I ended up getting 4 of my own at home.
What has been one of your most memorable moments in the Reptile House?
When Blake, Mitchell and I moved all the reptiles from the off display rooms down to the shipping containers, and moving all the reptiles from the main room to the new zoology building. We spent long hours planning, designing and moving the enclosures and then got to see it all come together after we moved all the animals in.
What do you enjoy about being a keeper in the Reptile House?
I enjoy it as there is a full experience with reptiles and we get to work with animals you can’t work with anywhere else. I also enjoy meeting new people and mentoring others.
What are your aspirations for the future?
I am wanting to work in a zoo or become a Vet.
What are you looking forward to the most when the Zoology Centre is complete?
The thing I look forward to the most is, hopefully getting some Perenties, as they are Australia’s largest lizard and rarely seen in captivity.
Lace Monitor Varanus varius
Total Length: 2.1m
The Lace Monitor is one of Australia’s largest lizards with a heavily-built body, large sharp claws and a long, laterally compressed tail.
Generally, their colour is a dark blue-grey to black with numerous scattered white, cream or yellow spots and blotches forming ‘lace-like’ transverse bands. Some individuals have just broad, light and dark banding and the tail has broad alternating black and white or yellow bands. The head has a pointed snout with prominent bands and the tongue is long and bifurcated like a snake.
Both arboreal and terrestrial, this species lays clutches of eggs in termite mounds which act as natural incubators. The mother returns after approximately 260 days (nearly as long as human pregnancy) to dig out the babies and possibly lay the next season’s clutch. A widespread species in Eastern Australia occurring in dry woodlands, forested areas and along tree-lined waterways, it is often observed near roads feeding on carrion and if disturbed, will ascend the nearest tree.
Conservation status: Endangered (Vic), rare (SA).
We currently have two Lace Monitors in our collection – Mr Lacey and Lil Lacey. Mr Lacey has been in our collection for 16 years now and has become somewhat of mascot for the Zoology program. He regularly enjoys his freedom in the new Zoology building as he is let out of his aviary and allowed to wonder freely through the centre while the students tend to the animals. While not a fan of being picked up he happily allows students to pat him as he confidently wanders past knowing he is the king of the Zoology Centre.
We managed to successfully breed Mr Lacey and Lil Lacey last year, but disappointingly, the eggs failed early in the incubation period. We hoping next year we’ll have better luck and will see new little Lace Monitors stealing the show.