Lecture Series Event
The elephants are migrating, will you help us unpack their trunks?
We warmly welcome you to register for this free event launching Zoos Victoria's End of Year Campaign:
Hear from our experts as they share insights into how our elephant herd, including the three young calves, are adapting to life together. Discover the extensive planning and preparation that has gone into this historic move to Werribee Open Range Zoo, years in the making, and learn about welfare led design that will write a new standard of living in their specially designed 21-hectare habitat at Werribee Open Range Zoo.
Can't make it in person? Click here to register for the online stream.
Dr Mark Pilgrim OBE | Director, Werribee Open Range Zoo
Dr Mark Pilgrim joined Werribee Open Range Zoo in 2022 as Director after 33 years at the North of England Zoological Society’s, Chester Zoo. He’s held many roles during this time, being everything from a Keeper, Curator and Director to finally being CEO, the post he held for more than a decade. Dr Pilgrim has a lifelong fascination with elephants. He was appointed the first chair of the UK Government’s British & Irish Association of Zoos & Aquariums Elephant Welfare Group, ensuring significant improvements in the welfare of zoo elephants in the UK over a ten-year period. As Werribee Open Range Zoo moves through the various phases of the expansion Masterplan, Dr Mark Pilgrim and his team will be working towards expanded facilities and landscapes for priority conservation species and a new 21-hectare habitat to welcome Melbourne Zoo’s elephant herd in 2024.
Erin Gardiner
Life Sciences Manager - Trail of the Elephants, Life Sciences
Erin has 19 years of experience working at zoological institutions. She began her career at Auckland Zoo before joining the team at Zoos Victoria in 2007. For the last 16 years she has specialised with elephants, having the opportunity to support multiple elephant births, including Mali the first calf born at Zoos Victoria and second elephant calf born in Australia. Erin has overseen the recent acquisition of Luk Chai from Taronga Western Plains Zoo and his breeding interactions to successfully mate with Melbourne Zoo’s three females. Erin’s next focus will be the safe delivery of our three calves and the coordination of the herds historic move to Werribee Open Range Zoo.
Amy-Rose Doornbusch
Animal Welfare Research Officer, Wildlife Conservation & Science
Amy-Rose's career at Zoos Victoria began in 2017, initially in the role of an Animal Welfare Research Assistant. She's been on a journey, collaborating with various teams across Zoos Victoria's properties, gathering behavioural insights on a diverse array of species, informing decision-making and problem solving. Now, Amy-Rose is part of the team at the forefront of zoo animal welfare research, supporting the implementation of; reactive, proactive and strategic projects, developing appropriate protocols and ethograms, as well as facilitating training sessions for staff and volunteers on how to understand and gather data on animal behaviour - all while keeping up to date with the current science and how we can apply it at Zoos Victoria. Ultimately, Amy-Rose is committed to fostering collaborative relationships with internal and external stakeholders with the overarching goal of fostering positive welfare outcomes for all animals.