What do you believe sets the Mogo Wildlife Park apart from other Zoos across the region?

The collection that we have is pretty spectacular. We have primates ranging from gorillas all the way to pygmy marmosets. We also have a vast collection of big cats such as tigers and lions, our park just has a bit of everything from across the world.

There’s so much to see and we can provide some of those moments that people just need to experience at some point in their life. From standing at the foot of a giraffe to feeling the breath of a lion, our experiences just let you feel how grand these animals are and we are proud to provide a vast range of those opportunities.

What inspired you to start working in a zoo when you were 17 and is this the profession that you always envisioned yourself pursuing?

Surprisingly, zookeeping wasn’t something that I had always envisioned myself pursuing and I didn’t even think it was a job when I was little. I was always fascinated by animals and always had that love and interest in them, but I wasn’t one of those kids that just wanted to constantly catch lizards in the backyard and keep them; It was more a fascination with observing and learning. I still remember my first ever visit to a zoo when I first saw a red panda and was absolutely fascinated by this animal that I’d never heard of before. By the time I got to the end of high school I tried my hand at a couple of things that I just didn’t like, and it was then that I realized that working with animals is the only thing that I would be happy pursuing and I just set my sights on that.

Which animal encounter would you recommend the most to a young person who is looking for the most hands-on experience during a trip to the wildlife park?

They are all very hands on in different ways. With the encounters we try to encourage positive interactions between people and animals because the animals can get just as much out of it as the people do; provided that it all occurs relatively on their terms.It’s one of those things, like anything, where you’ll never really know why you have a favorite or something is of more interest to you. They are all very enriching as a whole experience and I believe that once you do one you will generally want to work through the list and have every type of encounter you possibly can. There are some where the animals just want to play, some that are more about just sitting and being in each other’s space and some involve feeding, there’s some pretty amazing experiences to have.

What was it like hand-raising a lioness cub in your home and how old is she now?

Life changes. It has been a truly rewarding experience. It obviously started from a very tragic and heartbreaking situation where her mother passed during childbirth, but it evolved into an unbelievable experience and still to this day we’ve got an amazing relationship and it’s something that will be there forever. Young lioness Maji is now two years old and will turn three in December. She is currently placed in with a male and I stopped going in with her about 6 months ago because at that point the only reason for still going in was for my benefit, not hers. It is important for her to now be with her male and let their bond be the thing that flourishes. She’s amazing and will still call out to me and come running to the fence as soon as she sees me, so we’ve still got a great relationship but she’s now her own lioness.

Do you have a favorite animal, or which do you believe is the most fascinating?

Species-wise, the Great Apes and Big Cats have always been of the most interest to me. Of course, developing a bond with Lioness Maji through hand raising her has certainly made her a favorite and Kaius the gorilla has also become a favorite due to the amount of time I have spent with him.

What are some of the most rewarding lessons that you have learned from your profession and from taking in orphaned animals to care for?

Empathy is the biggest thing. I believe that one of the most crucial aspects of being a good zookeeper is being able to put yourself in the position of that animal in your care so that you can better understand what they need. The most rewarding moments arise from hand raising more than anything.

You have to be able to take on that 24-hour, seven days a week type of role with whichever species you are raising. These are the moments where you learn the most and whether you want to or not, you’re forced to learn very quickly.
The most important part of hand raising is also letting go. You must always keep in mind that you are raising them with the goal of letting them go and raising them to be independent enough to eventually walk away from you and go on without you.

What was the bushfire period like for you and how did you ensure that your animals were protected during this difficult time?

Like anyone on the South Coast during this period, what Mogo went through was very rough. We did a lot of preparation in the lead-up by ensuring that we had an adequate supply of water and ways of distributing water around the park as needed. It was a horrendous situation but thankfully we got through it and no animals were injured or sick in any way, so it was a relatively good outcome.

The success that we achieved in keeping our animals safe and healthy in this period can be attributed to the daily hard work put in by a lot of wonderful people. There were about 25 animals that were moved into the house, which is on the zoo grounds and all of the larger animals were kept in their usual areas to stay safe. Many of our dedicated zookeepers worked extremely hard to ensure that these animals would continue to remain safe in their allocated areas without having to relocate.

Can you tell us more about your conservation objectives and how the wildlife park ensures to do its’ best in conserving these species of animals.

Our principal role surrounding conservation within The Wildlife Park is about preserving the genetics of threatened and endangered species in case there is ever the need to repopulate a habitat.

Secondary to that, direct release programs and education are both key parts to conservation. This involves educating members of the public and any school groups that come to the park about the plight of animals in the wild. We have had many schools come to the parks. Featherdale is principally an Australian fauna park and quite popular with school groups, as Australian fauna is a key syllabus component for primary school students. Although all animals are very important to learn about, the Australian fauna often takes precedence when educating school groups. We place great importance on educating our visitors and groups on the importance of protecting our endangered species and the important role that these animals play in their respective ecosystems.

“I believe that one of the most crucial aspects of being a good zookeeper is being able to put yourself in the position of that animal in your care so that you can better understand what they need.” -Chad Staples

What advice would you extend to young animal lovers who aspire to grow into the zookeeping profession one day?

Never give up. If it’s something that you truly want to do, keep it as your goal and take the incremental steps to get there. Understand that it is very competitive, so when an opportunity arises, whether it is paid or unpaid, just take it and use it as a learning experience. Always remember to remain teachable because even if you spend a lifetime in this profession, there is always so much more to learn and room to grow so keep a positive attitude throughout and enjoy the journey.

Where do you visualize the wildlife park growing in the future and are there any new developments on the horizon?

New things are constantly happening and our collections are always evolving and slightly changing. We continually focus on the rare and endangered species and their breeding programs. At our Featherdale Park, we are certainly proud to have a few firsts to our name such as first species and we’d like to continue to play that role and teach others. The primary goal and focus for the future is to continue to grow and evolve our collection into the best and most diverse collection of Australian animals anywhere in the world and to continue to showcase what Australia has to offer.