Kelly Tarlton's - Andrew 'AJ' Christie, curator
Andrew (AJ) Christie is a curator at Kelly Tarlton's in
Auckland.
Get to know more of the keepers featured in Wild
Vets by clicking here.
What animals do you work with?
Everything from large sharks and stingrays to penguins right down
to tiny Mysis shrimp. My leisure time is spent working with red
deer and beef cattle.
How long have you worked as a keeper?
15 years. 10 of those as curator.
Why did you become a keeper?
I always have had a huge passion for animals and when the
opportunity came to work with the penguins at Kelly's I jumped at
it!
Most memorable animal story?
There have been so many memorable moments - I can't
really single one out.
Three quick examples that spring to mind are travelling by frigate
with the NZ Navy to the Kermadec Islands to release rehabilitated
satellite tagged sea turtles, catching deep water grey nurse sharks
off White Island and having to wrestle massive bronze whaler sharks
out of the shark tank - all good fun!
I guess one of the biggest kicks I ever got was the first time I
went out on a fish collection trip and the water was teeming with
whales, dolphin, sharks and tuna plus gannets dive bombing all
around us. I couldn't believe I was actually being paid for
something that I loved doing.
What is your favourite animal?
Anything that can kill you.
What animal would you like to have in your
backyard?
A herd of Bison
What animal would you most like to see in the
wild?
Polar bears and moose.
What do you love most about your job?
Anything to do the sharks especially the diver hand feeds.
