Blog Archive

It’s hard to believe that in 1984 Adelaide Zoo’s very first female zoo keeper was employed.

I started working at Adelaide Zoo way back in December 1991 as a casual zoo keeper and by this time it appeared that women were well and truly ensconced into the zoo culture and work ethic.

Originally employed as a zoo keeper with Vet Nursing qualifications I now work as the Manager for the Animal Health Department for Zoos South Australia and have had the distinct privilege of watching women continue to be employed and develop, not only in the keeping stream but also into the managerial stream as well.

Zoos South Australia is an equal opportunity employee and I believe we lead the way in this area, with our number one focus being who is the right person for the job rather than who has the right anatomy so to speak…….

So what does International Women’s Day mean to me? It means the opportunity to choose our own path in life, whether that be in the form of full time mums, working mums, single mums, single women and women who choose not to have children.

We all play an important part in the life we are given and it is up to us to decide how we go about this. One person does and can make a difference, if they so choose too.

So thank you to all those women before me who fought so hard for our rights, thank you to all those who are still fighting for those simple rights today and thank you to all those women who will continue to do so in the future.

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY.

Dianne Hakof
Manager Animal Health Centre
Adelaide Zoo Hand Rearing Coordinator