After years working in internationally recognised zoos, Oberon’s Mark Grant is now sharing his passion for wildlife and conservation with communities across the Central West through his business, Me & Zoo Animal Presentations.
Based near Oberon, Mark travels throughout the region delivering interactive animal presentations to schools, aged care facilities, birthday parties, community groups and events, combining entertainment with hands-on learning and conservation education.
His career with animals began with a fascination formed early in childhood.
“I have always had an obsession with all creatures from a very early age,” Mark said.
“That led me to a childhood dream of working in a zoo.”
That dream eventually saw him spend seven years at Dublin Zoo in Ireland, undertake work at London Zoo, and later move to Australia in 2002 to work as a reptile keeper at Taronga Zoo.
During his 10 years at Taronga, Mark became heavily involved in behind-the-scenes reptile tours and educational presentations, experiences that helped shape the future direction of his career.
He said seeing children interact with animals and become excited about learning played a major role in inspiring the creation of Me & Zoo.
“I loved seeing children’s faces light up when I took snakes out for them to touch,” he said.
“When I left Taronga Zoo there was a burning desire to continue educating young people and adults about wildlife.”
Today, Me & Zoo presentations typically run for around an hour and feature a range of animals, with audience members encouraged to interact with many of them throughout the session.
While the shows are designed to be fun and engaging, they also carry a strong environmental message, particularly around conservation and protecting native wildlife.
One of the more popular parts of the presentations involves Ash, a Bengal cat who appears on lead and harness while Mark discusses the impact roaming and feral cats have on Australia’s native animals.
Mark said encouraging people to keep their cats indoors was an important part of the education program, particularly given Australia’s high mammal extinction rate.
Young children and teenagers make up a large part of Me & Zoo audiences, although Mark said the presentations are designed for all ages.
“No matter your age or background, you are always welcome at Me & Zoo,” he said.
