Amy Robbins has always had a passion for animals. “I remember being three years old and visiting Auckland Zoo with my dad, and telling him I wanted to be a zookeeper when I grew up.”
Fast-forward a few decades and Amy, 44, is now deputy curator of mammals at Auckland Zoo, and this month she celebrates her 22nd anniversary working at this world-renowned visitor attraction.
As for how Amy’s childhood dream crystalised into a career, it’s the result of hard work and dedication. “Growing up in Tauranga, we had lots of different pets including dogs, cats, rats, mice, guinea pigs, axolotls, fish and even a goat, but I always knew, when it came to my working life, I wanted to work with big animals. Elephants were a thing for a while, then marine mammals, and I was also interested in great apes.”
At school, Amy chose subjects that led her towards marine science. “But when I was accepted into a marine science course, I pulled out at the last minute because I knew it wasn’t quite right for me.”
Instead of formal study, Amy opted for a bit of life experience instead. “I had some rather boring jobs, including one summer where I laminated calendars,” she recalls. “I was also a telemarketer in Australia, which was similarly horrific and those experiences made me realise what I didn’t want to do.”
With a greater sense of direction, Amy enrolled for a Bachelor of Science at the University of Waikato.
“While I was studying, I also worked part-time as a nurse aide – what we now call a health care assistant – as well as volunteering at Hamilton Zoo, where I assisted keepers and guided visitors. Then,
just as I was finishing my degree, I saw a job advertised at Auckland Zoo.”
Cheeky squirrel monkeys can’t get enough of Amy.
Roles at Auckland Zoo are highly sought after and it was during the interview process, when Amy was asked how her life experiences might assist her in zoo work, that she recognised the parallels between health care and working with animals.
“Zookeepers and health-care workers are both caregiving roles. You need a lot of empathy to work with patients who can be non-verbal. You also have to interpret behaviour or body language, much like a zookeeper, because to provide the best care to a human who’s had a stroke and can’t speak, or an animal whose language you don’t speak, you must use other methods to decipher what they’re telling you. There’s a lot of crossover from health care to zookeeping and that question during my interview helped me see that.”
Once Amy started at the zoo, her initial focus was on chimpanzees. “I fell for the crazy world of their social dynamics, but the moment I started working with orangutans, they became my true love and it was, ‘See you later, chimpanzees!'”
Amy’s zoo faves. “They’re just the best to spend time with.”
As well as her zoo work, Amy also makes regular visits to the jungles of Indonesia, where many of her favourite animals reside.
She tells, “Sumatra is an amazing place, but many important species are threatened there, so in 2016, I helped establish the Sumatran Ranger Project, as well as assisting with the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme (SOCP), both of which are supported by Auckland Zoo’s Conservation Fund.”
Another of Amy’s roles sees her escorting eco-adventure groups to sanctuaries like SOCP’s Orangutan Haven, where she relishes getting hands-on field experience while sharing her extensive orangutan husbandry skills with locals.
Amy’s proud of her work in Sumatra with the wildlife and locals.
“Releasing orangutans back into the wild is one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done,” she enthuses. “Although there is a lot of sadness too as most orangutans come to us because they’ve been injured by villagers protecting their crops. But the harm isn’t malicious – it’s more a lack of education, which is why we try to grow awareness and teach locals how to co-exist with these incredible creatures.”
Auckland Zoo’s connection with South East Asia has recently deepened thanks to its most ambitious project ever, the South East Asia Jungle Track. This immersive series of habitats has transformed a fifth of the zoo’s grounds to showcase one of the most species-rich and threatened places on Earth.
“I’ve loved being part of the design, which is all about offering positive welfare outcomes for the 18 different wildlife species already in residence there.”
The jungle track features a high-canopy primate habitat for orangutans and siamangs, a lowland habitat for Sumatran tigers and Asian small-clawed otters, plus a richly planted Indonesian swamp-forest habitat for Sunda gharial crocodiles and 13 different species of fish, which is kept at a balmy 28 degrees all year round.
Releasing rehabbed orangutans back into the wild is the most rewarding thing ever!
As well as caring for her staff and all the animals, Amy also has two children, Khai, 12, and Maya, nine. They reckon having a zookeeper for a mum has lots of perks, with behind-the-scenes experiences most kids only dream of.
“Khai especially loves the opportunities he’s been given as he’s been obsessed with animals since he was a baby. To the point that when he first started talking, he had an English accent and we couldn’t figure out why – until it dawned on us it was because he’d watched so many David Attenborough documentaries!”
With three orangutans currently calling the South East Asia Jungle Track home, Amy loves being part of their extended family too. “We have 41-year-old Charlie, 34-year-old Melur and their baby Bahmi, who was born just seven months ago. We call Melur ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ because she’s lots of fun, with a great sense of humour. She’s such a great mum and it’s incredible to see them thriving. Orangutans are just the best animals to spend time with.”
According to Amy, the past 20 years have been an amazing time to be a zookeeper. “I’m so lucky to do the work I do, and I’ve stayed at Auckland Zoo as long as I have because I believe we do animal welfare and conservation better than any other zoo in the world. Not only is Auckland Zoo an amazing place to visit, but we help pull species back from the brink of extinction.
“I also love helping people connect with extraordinary species, like orangutans, and to know, in some small part, I’m inspiring their support for conserving orangutans in the wild, as well as all the other species that share their rainforest ecosystem.”
It’s Orangutan Caring Week from 13 to 19 November. Auckland Zoo has all sorts of orang-related activities on, making this an excellent time to visit the brand-new South East Asia Jungle Track!
