Zookeeper Sarah's wild times 'A NORMAL JOB WOULD BE TAME!'

Pouncing on the chance to care for animals, she's a happy creature of habit 35 years on

- Kasia Jillings

One hundred years ago, Auckland Zoo opened its doors to the public, giving locals the chance to see wild animals up close and personal in the city for the first time.

Zookeeper Sarah Anderson, 54, hasn’t been there since day one, but she has dedicated the last 35 years of her life to caring for the zoo’s many different species. The self-confessed “bird nerd”, who now works full-time in the avian habitats with her beloved kea and flamingos, to name a few, first started at the zoo as an eager 18-year-old.

“I can distinctly visualise my first day,” recalls Sarah. “Peter West, the primate team leader training me, asked me to get some insects to feed the lemurs. I was picking locusts and galleria out of a container thinking, ‘Gosh, I’m not too sure about this.’ But I got over that quickly!”

Talking to the Weekly as Auckland Zoo celebrates its milestone this month, with a commemorative book and special 100th exhibition, she recounts amazing anecdotes to rival the best of work stories.

From giving the late, beloved elephant Kashin a bath to watching a giraffe give birth and kiwi chicks hatch, Sarah struggles to choose the most memorable experience.

“Another highlight was being one of the keepers responsible for looking after giant pandas Xiao Xiao and Fei Fei when they came to the zoo for three months in 1988, as part of an awareness and fundraising tour,” shares Sarah, who laughs remembering the lengths she went to in order to source food for the guests. “That was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.