Zookeeper Tasmin 'Tas' Menzies cleaning the spider monkey cage at Hunter Valley Zoo. Picture by Max Mason-HubersZookeeper Charlotte Edwards feeding the giraffes before the park opened for the day. Picture by Max Mason-HubersBree the koala ready for lunch. P
Zookeeper Sally Smith giving the capybara's a quick scratch before the zoo opens it's doors in the morning. Picture by Max Mason-HubersOne of the many peacocks showing off it's plumage. Picture by Max Mason-HubersHead keeper Daniel Mabbott and zookeeper Charlotte Edwards loading hay for the camels. Picture by Max Mason-HubersZookeeper Sophie Ramsay winching acacia branches into the roof of the giraffe barn for them to browse on overnight. Picture by Max Mason-HubersLesley Burley of Pokolbin and Jenny Petrysen of Nulkaba feeding the black & white ruffed lemurs under the watchful eye of keeper Tasmin 'Tas' Menzies. Picture by Max Mason-HubersZookeeper Sophie Ramsay raking up poo in the giraffe barn. Picture by Max Mason-HubersHead keeper Daniel Mabbott watching as zoo keeper Charlotte Edwards feeds the giraffes before the park opened for the day. Picture by Max Mason-HubersHad keeper Daniel Mabbott raking muck in the camel & ostrich paddock. Picture by Max Mason-HubersA mother squirrel monkey and her newborn baby having breakfast. Picture by Max Mason-HubersHead keeper Daniel Mabbott backing up the zoo's ancient hilux to pick up feed for the camels. Picture by Max Mason-HubersOne of the zoo's two capybara. Picture by Max Mason-HubersZookeeper Tasmin 'Tas' Menzies cleaning the spider monkey cage. Picture by Max Mason-HubersZookeeper Daisy Murphy giving a talk about the white lions. Picture by Max Mason-HubersRacheal Mangan portioning out sweet potato slices for the animals. Sweet potato is universally enjoyed by most of the zoo's inhabitants. Picture by Max Mason-HubersSophie Ramsay raking up poo in the giraffe barn. Picture by Max Mason-HubersHead keeper Daniel Mabbott filling a feeder in the camel & ostrich paddock. Picture by Max Mason-HubersTasmin 'Tas' Menzies, Charlotte Edwards and Sophie Ramsay unloading a delivery of animal feed. Picture by Max Mason-HubersStaff raking up leaves before opening the park in the morning. Picture by Max Mason-HubersA black and white ruffed lemur. Picture by Max Mason-HubersZookeeper Daisy Murphy giving a talk about the white lions. Picture by Max Mason-HubersTasmin 'Tas' Menzies feeding the squirrel monkeys, including this one with its newborn baby. Picture by Max Mason-HubersA spider monkey eating breakfast. Picture by Max Mason-HubersSophie Ramsay with acacia branches for the giraffe barn. Picture by Max Mason-HubersZookeeper Charlotte Edwards taking a photo of Singleton local Tymeka Shepherd and her daughter Sienna, 10, who were feeding the meerkats. Picture by Max Mason-HubersSquirrel monkey's leaping for their breakfast. Picture by Max Mason-HubersRacheal Mangan preparing food for the animals. Picture by Max Mason-Hubers2 year old Colbeigh peers around her brother Ollie, 8, more concerned with the camera than the lion behind her. Picture by Max Mason-HubersZookeeper Daisy Murphy while she cleans their enclosure. Picture by Max Mason-HubersBree the koala snoozing early in the morning. Picture by Max Mason-HubersA spider monkey playing with zoo keeper Daisy Murphy while she cleans their enclosure. Picture by Max Mason-HubersHead keeper Daniel Mabbott driving into the camel enclosure to give it a clean. Picture by Max Mason-HubersZookeeper Sally Smith feeding Bree the koala in the morning. Picture by Max Mason-HubersRacheal Mangan portioning out sweet potato slices for the animals. Picture by Max Mason-HubersZookeeper Daisy Murphy cleaning the black and white ruffed lemur's island enclosure. Picture by Max Mason-HubersBehind the scenes at Hunter Valley Wilderness Park in Nulkaba. Picture by Max Mason-HubersBehind the scenes at Hunter Valley Wilderness Park in Nulkaba. Picture by Max Mason-HubersZookeeper Charlotte Edwards sharing a laugh with head keeper Daniel Mabbott. Picture by Max Mason-HubersA black and white ruffed lemur. Picture by Max Mason-HubersA spider monkey eating breakfast. Picture by Max Mason-HubersZookeeper Charlotte Edwards feeding the giraffes before the park opened for the day. Picture by Max Mason-HubersA spider monkey keeping an eye on zookeeper Daisy Murphy while she cleans their enclosure. Picture by Max Mason-HubersA mother squirrel monkey and her newborn baby having breakfast. Picture by Max Mason-HubersZookeeper Charlotte Edwards feeding the giraffes before the park opened for the day. Picture by Max Mason-HubersA giraffe checking out the scenery. Picture by Max Mason-HubersReid Efremoff of Branxton, 7yo, feeding lorikeets in the walk-in aviary. Picture by Max Mason-HubersA Black-Necked Stork, also known as a Jabiru. Picture by Max Mason-HubersA young regeant bowerbird chick, which is one of two chicks that the zoo was lucky enough to have this year. Picture by Max Mason-Hubers
IT'S feeding time at the zoo.
Lions, giraffes, squirrel monkeys, meerkats and marmosets all hungrily wait for their first dish of the day, a mammoth task undertaken by Hunter Valley Wildlife Park director Chad Staples and his team.
An average day begins as the sun laps at the horizon, the drawn-out, croaky squawk of the black glossy cockatoo and first snorts of the binturong ring out across wildlife park.
The team are flat-out, making sure everyone is fed, watered and catered to before excited families arrive.
"Mornings at the zoo are very busy, you never know what will be thrown at you until the day starts," zookeeper Chad said.
"We have to do diet preparation for the first morning feeds and you do need to start early, if you imagine a honeyeater in Australia, as soon as the sun comes up their little metabolisms are ready to start eating straight away.
"That's the way their bodies are designed and it's up to us to mimic what happens in the wild, so it's early starts and busy from the get-go.
"It's very rare that I go into a day with a plan and that plan stays the same."
The first keepers are in by about 6:30am, once it closes at 4pm the preparation begins for the next day.
Everyone has someone to look after, with 10 to 12 zookeepers on site, the team manages everything from the biggest giraffe down to the small marmosets or primaries.
"Everyone is on an individual diet and has a personality of their own, and some require special care which is why it was challenging the last few years," zookeeper Chad said.
"None of that changed whether we had visitors or not, so it's wonderful to be open and have a bit more normality again because we went through such a tough time."
A wildlife park is a living, breathing organism of its own. Life as a zookeeper is hefty work, loading heavy bales of hay for the camels, scrubbing enclosures, picking the perfect acacia branch for a picky giraffe and raking, raking and more raking.
It takes a certain person to do the job, zookeeper Chad said.
"Attitude is everything, so is the ability to want to learn," he said.
"It's important to have a lot of empathy, that ability to put yourself in the shoes of the animals you're caring for is crucial and to not ever think just because something has always been done a certain way it should always be done that way.
"You have to let the animals tell you what's happening - but I think having that ability to think on your feet, be a natural problem solver and look at situations from multiple perspectives is invaluable."
The zoo's icons are obvious winners with the public, with lions and giraffes drawing massive crowds.
But for the zookeepers - everyone has their personal favourites - even if they do make a mess.
"Every one of them has a personality of their own," zookeeper Chad said.
"When you start talking about the bigger, smarter animals, when they want to make a mess or do something out of the ordinary they can always do it.
"But everyone has their way of throwing you a curve ball, in a good way.
"It's one of the most fascinating aspects of the job and it's really rewarding."
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