A love of animals led Werribee resident Kelly Hobbs from being a visitor at Werribee Open Range Zoo to a senior keeper there. “I like building a relationship with the animals, assessing their behaviour and gaining their trust,” she says.
What’s your connection to the local community?
I grew up in Wyndham Vale and now live in Werribee.
I’m a senior keeper at Werribee Open Range Zoo, where I have worked for three years. Prior to that I worked at Melbourne Zoo for 10 years, and I’ve worked in zoos and wildlife sanctuaries in Vietnam, Cambodia and the Bahamas.
I love all animals, especially cats, and I get to work with lions, cheetahs, servals, meerkats, gorillas, African wild dogs, vervet monkeys and tortoises at the zoo. My job is to take care of the animals, make sure they’re well fed, happy and healthy. I also interact with them and the public through keeper presentations and am involved with wildlife conservation through the zoo here and overseas.
In the past I volunteered for Multiple Sclerosis Australia by visiting nursing homes in Wyndham and providing companionship to the residents.
What do you like about Wyndham?
I like that it’s still rural. We live in a suburb, but there’s a rural community feel. We have beautiful parks such as the You Yangs and I like to walk and run along Werribee River. There’s also plenty to offer people in the area, including Werribee Mansion and garden and Werribee Open Range Zoo. I remember jumping on a bus as a child to visit the zoo and now I work there! My family and I also had picnics at the mansion where my mum used to work and we’d play in the rose garden.
What would you like to change?
Our infrastructure struggles because of the population increase. New train stations will help people move around more easily.
I’d like to change the view some people have of Werribee. It used to only be known for the treatment plant – which is now a beautiful landscape with birdlife – but the area has much more going for it, including the beach at Werribee South.
What’s your favourite eatery or place to get coffee?
I love that different ethnicities are represented in the restaurants in Wyndham, including Thai, Vietnamese and Indian. My partner and I like to try different cuisines, and Fresh Chilli Thai restaurant in Wyndham Vale is really good.
I’m not much of a coffee drinker, but my partner loves the coffee from Chatterbox café.
