Animal Diaries Archive

G'Day Everyone!

25 July 2008

Hey everyone, my name is Kristi, and I’m stoked to be a new member of the Reptiles team! I moved from America to beautiful Sunshine Coast in June of 2007 and submitted my application to Australia Zoo the next day! After volunteering for three and a half months, I was employed as a bird keeper. I enjoyed learning about our feathery friends for nine months, but my true dream was to work with the legendary Australia Zoo Reptile Team.

Reptiles have been a lifelong passion for me. I grew up wanting to be a paleontologist or environmentalist, and I loved seeing snakes and alligators near our house in Florida. As a teenager, I followed my other passion, and went to university to study the drums. After getting my degree in music performance, I returned to my childhood interests and was hired at a zoo facility in America working with reptiles. Of course, after watching Crocodile Hunter since 1997, I also wanted to visit Australia. I volunteered for two weeks in 2005 and didn’t want to go back home! I fell in love with Oz and the amazing people that work at Australia Zoo.

One of the best parts about my job is doing photo sessions with our big Burmese pythons. I enjoy talking to kids and adults who may be scared of snakes, and getting them to pat a snake for the first time. I remember being scared of a big snake at a zoo when I was six years old, but my parents and the keeper talked me into patting it. There was no going back! I was sold.  

My experience at Australia Zoo has been fantastic, and I love working at a zoo with such happy animals. It’s great to get paid to work with these amazing creatures!  I believe strongly in Steve Irwin’s concept of conservation through exciting education, and it’s nice to be part of a company that strives to make a difference in the world.