Wellington - Miekes Timmermans, team leader
Miekes Timmermans is the team leader of programmes and projects
at Wellington Zoo.
Get to know more of the keepers featured in Wild
Vets by clicking here.
What animals do you work with?
All sorts - birds (cockatoos, kea, morepork and falcon) cheetahs,
otter, serval, possum and reptiles.
How long have you worked as a keeper?
Seven years.
Why did you become a keeper? To be honest I kind
of fell into it - I was in the right place at the right time and
haven't looked back since. I was a primary school teacher and
joined the education team here - from there I was given the
opportunity to train as an animal trainer. Lovin' it!
Where in the world have you worked as a keeper and what
animals did you work with?
Wellington Zoo and the zoo at my childhood home in Tawa (which
contained rabbits, guinea pigs, budgies, cockatiels, quails and
mice).
What is you favorite animal? Ooh, hard question as
it changes from day to day. The two that crop up most often however
are the cheetahs - specifically Charlie and Delta our two very cool
boys - and the New Zealand falcon.
What animal would you like to have in your
backyard?
New Zealand falcon.
What animal would you most like to see in the
wild?
In the world: cheetah; in New Zealand: New Zealand falcon.
Which animal do you relate to the most?
Red panda - love to sleep lots and eat things I probably
shouldn't!
What do you love most about your job?
The animals, the people and the Wellington Zoo culture. I love
training the animals and reading their behaviour - I am constantly
amazed at how smart they are!
What would you change about your job?
More animal time!
If you could make one change to help save endangered
animals what would it be?
Ooh, sorry it would have to be two: getting rid of greed and
poverty.
Advice for future keepers?
Go for it!
Tell us an animal joke.
A man was driving down the road with twenty penguins in the back
seat. The police stop him and say that he can't drive around with
the penguins in the car and should take them to the zoo.
The man agrees and drives off. The next day the same man is driving
down the road with 20 penguins in the back and again.
He is stopped by the same police officer who says, "Hey! I thought
I told you to take those to the zoo." The man replies, "I did.
Today I'm taking them to the movies."
