The Conservation Ecology Team

 

Conservation of biodiversity is the goal which underpins all our work here at Cape Otway - our guests enjoy a meaningful and memorable experience here, and there are opportunities for you to experience sustainable living and contribute to conservation. 

 

We welcome aspiring conservationists from all over the world.  Following the success of our first Conservation Ecology Fellowship in July 2009 we are currently planning the next course for 2010 - please contact us for details if you are interested in finding out more!

Cat, Lisa and Lesley completed their Masters in Wildlife Biology and Conservation at Napier University in Edinburgh in 2007 and are now travelling the world to gain experience and contribute to wildlife conservation.  Monkeys, Pumas, Tuatara, Kaka and Koalas - their wildlife husbandry skills are amazing! They came to work with us over summer 2009 and we wish them all the best in their next adventures.

 

 

Erin came to Cape Otway to complete her Natural Resource Management Diploma final year research project. While surveying the small mammal fauna of the Otways Erin became a very special part of the Cape ... and she just stayed! After working as our Ecology Experiences Coordinator for eighteen months, Erin is now studying Environmental Management at Ballarat University. She often drops in to gather data for uni assignments.

 

Leanne is a graduate of the LaTrobe University Animal Science degree. She came to help us with some of the poor burnt and singed koalas from the Framlingham bushfires over the summer of 2006/7. We could not have coped without her.

Jack grew up on the Cape and knows it like the back of his hand. When he headed off to Deakin University in Melbourne to study Environmental Management we all missed him, but knew it would not be long before he was back, and it was the owls that brought him home. While studying the owls' distribution and habitat use in the Otways, Jack discovered both Powerful and Masked Owls in the grounds of The Cape Otway Centre, with both species nesting in the Parker Valley. We look forward to his PhD!

 

Max was our 'rent-a-pom' from London, taking a gap year in 2007 to gain some experience in Ecotourism before returning to University College London to study Geography. Max assisted with rehabilitating wildlife (we were particularly busy last summer following all the bushfires), attending to track maintenance, learning about sustainable living and exploring the Otways and the Great Ocean Road.

 

 

Through friends we made while working at the Kindrogan Field Centre in Scotland Russ and Naomi came to work with us at Cape Otway as they made their way around the world from southern England.  With a background in environmental education Naomi was a great help.

 

 

 

We hosted Fabrice, a New Caledonian tourism graduate, before he headed to France to commence his degree in Environmental Science.  A keen interest in sustainable development and management of tourism means Fabrice is laying wonderful foundations for his plans for the sustainable future of his community in Lifou, New Calendonia. 

 

 

 

Anne is surely the best wildlife vet in the world and many of the animals which are rehabilitated at the Cape Otway Centre owe her their lives. From mystery illnesses to orthopedic surgery, Anne is always ready to answer our questions and carry out the delicate procedures, even in the middle of the night in a storm on a Sunday! Anne is now working at Sydney University in the Wildlife Health and Conservation Centre, researching wildlife health and teaching vets about the precious and fragile Australian wildlife - we really miss her, but have not stopped bombarding her with photos and questions.

The joeys rehabilitating at the Centre need plenty of quiet, peaceful sleep, and this is where Jo comes in. Jo makes huge numbers of beautiful pouches for our orphaned joeys, especially designed to be as natural as possible, mirroring natural development. These beautifully made pouches are now all over the country and are now being used by the Taipei Zoo in Taiwan!

 

Jess the goat works very hard to keep all our rehabilitating joeys well fed.  Most of the joeys' development occurs during the lactation stages and when they become orphaned meeting their nutritional needs is a very important aspect of their rehabilitation.  Goats' milk is highly digestable, natural and the joeys love it!  We use Jess's milk in the joeys' bottles throughout the late lactation period.