What's News!

Our Zoology Centre is now buzzing with our Zookeepers looking after some of our 400 plus, reptiles and frogs.

Our Junior Keepers are showing such great commitment to the program and developing their skills quickly. They complete a Job Sheet demonstrating their ability to feed a range of animals, clean a variety of enclosures and safely hold a number of animals. Once they have completed the sheet, they sit an online quiz which tests them on things they have learnt while completing their Job Sheet. The students must achieve 80% on the test to pass, but they may have multiple attempts to complete it and also have the opportunity to seek help if there is anything they do not understand.

We now have several students who have successfully completed their training and passed the test over the past couple of weeks including: Blake Hendrickson, Reilly Neaves, Reece Harvey, Morgan Thorp, Remy Stahl, Jade McCullough, Lilly Davis, Jacinta Snaith, Emily Allard, Marley Curnow, Blake Davey and Karisma Horrocks. Some of these Zookeepers are now helping others gain experience and complete their sheets as well.

Last week we had 12 baby Downs Bearded Dragons hatch out – the last of our eggs for this season. With the end of one breeding season comes the start of the next season, with our Green Pythons seen mating on at least two occasions.

As part of the VET Certificate II in Animal Studies, we were visited by Shane Simpson, The Reptile Doctor who gave a presentation on the Biology of reptiles. Shane also performed microchipping procedures on 10 animals in the collection, which the students were involved in and two necropsies, for the students to watch and ask questions as it was done – a truly unique experience.

As always, the Zoology Centre is constantly changing and over the past couple of weeks, a number of animals were moved from our off display facility to the Zoology Centre and students assisted in the setting up of their new homes on display.

Animals such as; Leaf Tail Geckos, Chameleon Geckos, Boyd’s Forest Dragons, Pygmy Mulga Monitors and legless lizards to name a few, now reside in the main Zoology Centre for students to enjoy.

Marcus Whitby

Keeper Profile

Kieren Taylor: Senior Keeper

Age:16

How long have you been a keeper in the Reptile House?

I have been a keeper in the program for 3 years.

Which animals do you enjoy working with the most?

I enjoy working with the rough-throated Leaf Tailed Geckos, the Boyd's Forest Dragons and all the Monitors.

What has been one of your most memorable moments in the Reptile House?

My most memorable moment would have to be getting leadership of Room 44. Before the Zoology Centre was built, part of the collection was being kept in the back of Room 44, a Science room in Junior School. This off display collection while constantly changing, as animals moved on or off display in the main room, consisted of up to 40 animals with a huge range of requirements, giving me a lot of experience with various animals. It also meant I had to manage a team, which was a challenge as well, but I enjoyed the opportunity to have such a position with so much responsibility.

What do you enjoy about being a keeper in the Reptile House?

I enjoy learning new things about the reptiles both in husbandry and in general. Working along side people like Mike, Sue and Mr Whitby gives me the opportunity to learn from people who have years of experience in wildlife care that I wouldn’t be able to get anywhere else.

What are your aspirations for the future?

As far as my future around reptiles goes, I would like to either be a keeper at a zoo or go and document reptiles in the wild.

What are you looking forward to the most when the Zoology Centre is complete?

I'm looking forward to being a leader of one of the habitat themed areas and teaching others the skills that I have learnt in my time at Lilydale.

Why would you recommend getting involved in the Zoo Keeper Program at Lilydale High School?

I would recommend getting involved if you have a passion for reptiles and/or would want a career based around reptile keeping. This is because it will give you a head start in that field and you will learn more about them as well.

Creature Feature

Chameleon Gecko (Carphodactylus laevis)

Snout to vent Length: 130mm

This spectacular gecko is the sole member of the genus. It is laterally compressed (looks like it has been flattened on both sides) and has an acute vertebral ridge (a definite ridgeline along it’s back), long slender legs, a carrot-shaped tail and claws, instead of pad at the end of it’s toes.

They are mostly brown overall with a fine cream mid-vertebral line and well camouflaged to suit their environment. They can easily drop their tail and when they do, they often produce a loud squeaking noise as it wriggles around.

They are nocturnal inhabitants of rainforests and most often observed facing down motionless on a small sapling waiting for unsuspecting insects to walk in front of them, at which point in time, they pounce on their prey from their vertical perch.

Like all geckos, they usually produce only two eggs, but may have as many as 5 clutches of eggs each year. The eggs incubate at varying temperatures between 20 and 25 and take approximately 100 days to hatch.

Lilydale High School was lucky enough to receive 6 of these in 2019 as part of a rehoming program, after Border Force intercepted them in the mail as an animal smuggling ring attempt to illegally ship them overseas. Since then they have settled into their new homes and have bred each year producing more than 20 offspring in their time with us.

They are an unusual gecko, rarely seen in zoos or private collections giving our students a truly unique opportunity to work with such animals.

Marcus Whitby

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