Biography

I have been volunteering with wildlife since I was 13 years old when I began helping at a local center caring for orphaned local wildlife, bottle feeding young deer, raccoons and squirrels.

I finished my Bachelors in Biology with a zoology and animal behaviour focus and completed an honors study on Africa wild dog pack dynamic and social behaviour.

I have had the opportunity to work at zoos both in Canada and in the UK.  I began my zoological career working with primates and small cats.  I also had an opportunity to work with Oregon Spotted Frogs (OSF), the most endangered amphibian in Canada.  As it turns out one of the last remaining populations is just behind my childhood home where my friends and I used to go exploring looking for frogs as kids, so I have been getting job experience for a while!  With the OSF recovery team I was able to promote the further development of this program over multiple years and expand its production of frogs for the release initiatives as well as develop husbandry techniques as part of my Masters thesis.  This past year I finished a year of working at Durrell Wildlife with their amphibian and reptile department.

Now that I am home again I am continuing my work with amphibians and reptiles of British Columbia including, of course, OSF but also painted turtles and Northern Leopard frogs.

I also continue to have involvement with other native non-herpeto-faunal BC projects, including the Burrowing Owl program and hope to foster close relationships with these programs in the province.  The integration of forward thinking conservation programs with on the ground application with public education and community involvement is an area that really appeals to me and a component of my work I specifically look forward to expanding.

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