Gina's Animal Instinct My Love For All Things Great & Small

Gina Kemp (28) Is an Animal Welfare Inspector and the Technical Rescue Coordinator With the Wellington-based Spca National Rescue Unit.

- Julie Jacobson

" All of my family are animal lovers. We all have pets and we always have had pets.

Our Instagram feeds are full of pictures of our dogs and cats. I rode horses throughout my childhood and teens. I still have a horse and I’ve got a little rescue dog called Bella. I’ve had her since she was 18 months old and she’s 10 now – she’s a Chihuahua Papillon cross. I’ve also got a little cat – he was a very, very sick kitten. He’s called Basil, after Basil in Fawlty Towers, because he’s faulty!

While I was studying for my vet nursing certificate, I got a part-time job at the SPCA in Auckland as a large animal attendant – cows, pigs, horses, goats, sheep; anything that won’t fit in a kennel or a crate – and I never left.

I’m not quite an animal whisperer, I’m not nearly that advanced, but we do receive training in animal behaviour and animal handling skills. I’m also an animal rescue technician instructor with Rescue 3, which is an international training provider.

The SPCA National Rescue Unit is where we do all the crazy stuff. It’s the technical rescue side of things. We probably average one or two technical rescues a month, but there’s also a lot of training. Last year, I put in something like 600 hours and it’s voluntary, over and above my paid job.