Summer 2009 - Perth Zoo

A Day in the Life of…
Cassandra Bynder, Native Species Breeding Program Cadet
Cassandra started working at Perth
Zoo as an Indigenous cadet in
February 2009 to help find her
calling in animal conservation.
First starting in the Education section,
Cassandra found it useful to learn
how to educate and communicate
conservation messages to people.
She started with some of Perth Zoo’s
learning experiences and worked side
by side with other members of the
Zoo Education team.
In September, Cassandra moved to
the Zoo’s Native Species Breeding
Program (NSBP), which works with
some of Western Australia’s most
threatened species.
“The switch was hard at first but only
because I had to adjust my working
hours to arrive at 7:30 am. I also had
A Day in Cassandra’s Diary
7:30 am Arrive at the Zoo and join the NSBP staff for their
morning stretches. They are designed to keep you limber
and help with the day’s activities. It’s also the time to find out
what’s going on with the animals. I then wait to hear which
keeper has the busiest day so I can help them. The Western
Swamp Tortoise round is usually the busiest.
8:30 am We check on the Western Swamp Tortoise
hatchlings in the off-display holding ponds to make sure they
are healthy. We have to keep an eye out for any females that
look as if they are about to lay their eggs throughout the day
so we can monitor them.
8:45 am We walk down to the Australian Wetlands exhibit
to check the water temperature because Western Swamp
Tortoises need a temperature of 14–30°C. We also clean the
glass and remove any excrement or uneaten food from the
tank.
9:00 am We go back to the Western Swamp Tortoise area
and clean the hatchling ponds, while also giving them a feed
of brine shrimp and blood worms.
9:30 am Any weighing and monitoring is done. We also check
the health of the tortoises to make sure there isn’t anything
out of the ordinary.
10:00 am Break for morning tea.
10:30 am I complete odd jobs around the off-display
hatchling and adult holding ponds such as cutting the grass
in the ponds or cleaning out yesterday’s uneaten food.
12:30 pm Lunch.
1:00 pm I go and do some ‘termite harvesting’ for the
Numbats in residence. Basically, I have to separate the
termites from the wood by knocking them into a tray.
This can be very time consuming because adult Numbats
eat 20,000 of these little critters per day.
to acclimatise to a work day where
I’m always on the move but it’s great
because I’m honing a different set of
skills,” says Cassandra.
“I get to be around Numbats,
Western Swamp Tortoises, Dibblers,
Woylies and native frogs all day,
which is great. I provide support to
the keepers, following whoever has
the most to do on that day and doing
food preparation for the animals,
cleaning exhibits, weighing animals
and anything else they need.
“Watching the first Western Swamp
Tortoises egg-laying for the season
(October–November) was amazing.
We know when they are about to lay
because they tend to circle around
sanded areas. If they start to dig a
hole, then we know it’s going to
happen really soon.”
Undertaking the cadetship has
allowed Cassandra to gain insight into
career opportunities.
“When I first started looking into doing
a cadetship at Perth Zoo, all I knew
was that I wanted to help with
conservation. Working in different
parts of the Zoo has allowed me to
gain practical experience for my
Environmental Science course at
Central TAFE and see what is on offer
in this field.
“I’m fascinated by how the different
sections operate and what a day’s
work in each consists of. I’m lucky to
have the opportunity to work in a
variety of positions in a dynamic work
environment, which broadens my
horizons.”
1:30 pm I prepare the food for the juvenile and adult Western
Swamp Tortoises, cutting their ‘pudding’ (an assortment of
beef heart, rat, fish and marron) according to how many
individuals are in each of the 42 ponds.
2:30 pm The tortoises are fed and we head back to the
Australian Wetlands exhibit to give the tortoises their food.
We also check the temperature again.
3:15 pm Wind up for the day: make sure everything is done,
wash up food preparation materials and clean, and check the
temperatures in the holding ponds again. I also help write the
daily report including the temperatures that we’ve taken, the
results of weighing the tortoises, notes regarding their heath
and any important information needed for the next day’s
keeper.
4:00 pm Time to go home and study.
Summer 2009/10 | newspaw s
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