ASZK Annual Conference 2026

Celebrating 50 Years of Zoos and Zookeepers Thriving

March 18 - 23, 2026 · Rydges Melbourne

In 2026, we’re marking a major milestone – 50 years of the Australasian Society of Zoo Keeping. To celebrate, our annual ASZK Conference will be held in Melbourne, bringing together passionate professionals from across the region.

With the theme “50 Years of Zoos and Zookeepers Thriving,” this special edition of our conference will honour the legacy of those who came before us, reflect on how far we’ve come, and look forward to the future of progressive, collaborative animal care and conservation.

Agenda

Wednesday, March 18

9:00 AM

Event Start

9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Behavioural enrichment Workshop with Mathew Shackleton UK

Mock Rocking Workshop with Crete Creations (Day 1)

Thursday, March 19

9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Mock Rocking Workshop with Crete Creations (Day 2)

9:00 AM - 4:30 PM

Optional tour to Werribee Open Range Zoo

Buses leave Melbourne Zoo front Entrance 9 am return to Melbourne Zoo approximately 4 pm

1:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Conference Registration at Leopard Lodge Melbourne Zoo

Collect your credentials and Conference Bag and bring your silent auction item

2:00 PM - 4:30 PM

Behind the scenes tours

Tours leave from Leopard Lodge

5:30 PM - 9:30 PM

Icebreaker - Leopard Lodge Melbourne Zoo

Buses will take delegates into the City to the Rydges Hotel after the event.

Friday, March 20

8:00 AM - 9:00 AM

Registration

Collect your credentials and Conference Bag

9:00 AM - 9:15 AM

Welcome

9:00 AM - 9:25 AM

Brief introduction to Exhibitors

9:25 AM - 9:40 AM

Zoos Victoria global sister zoo partnership program: enabling benefits to people, animals and organisations Chris Banks Melbourne Zoo

9:40 AM - 10:15 AM

Enrichment: For physical and behavioural health Matthew Shackleton BSc (Hons) MScVetPhys PGCert PTLLS MIRVAP(VP) (UK)

Key Note Speaker

10:15 AM - 10:30 AM

The Care of Social Carnivores Post Medical Intervention: Reflections & Applications Across Species Laura Elliott Perth Zoo

10:30 AM - 10:45 AM

Caring for the Carers: Healing trauma through debriefing Courtney Ross

10:45 AM - 11:35 AM

Morning Tea and Poster session

Presenters will be at their posters for questions.

11:35 AM - 12:05 PM

Indoor sunshine? An introduction to lighting in animal husbandry Frances M. Baines, M.A., Vet.M.B., M.R.C.V.S. (UK)

Key Note Speaker

12:05 PM - 12:20 PM

Branching Out: Putting Animal Choice at the Heart of the Tree Roo Encounter Ana Martins Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary and Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

12:20 PM - 12:35 PM

Mastering Methods of Monster Multiplication Jayden White Melbourne Zoo

12:35 PM - 12:50 PM

Rising Together: How We Continue to Thrive Sonja Murray ASZK Committee

12:50 PM - 1:05 PM

Evolving Roles, Evolving Success: Keeper-Led Innovation and Collaboration Enabling the First Captive Breeding of the Yule Island Tree Frog (Litoria congenita) at Port Moresby Nature Park Joseph Gerson Lame Port Moresby Nature Park

1:05 PM - 2:30 PM

LUNCH

2:30 PM - 3:45 PM

Workshops - Choose 1

3:45 PM - 4:15 PM

AFTERNOON TEA

4:15 PM - 5:30 PM

Workshops continue

7:00 PM - 11:00 PM

Gala Dinner - "A Touch of Gold"

Rydges Hotel

Saturday, March 21

8:30 AM - 9:10 AM

Registrations for Day delegates

9:10 AM - 9:15 AM

Housekeeping and Exhibitors introductions

9:15 AM - 9:30 AM

Gumbuya’s Wildlife Student Program: Upskilling the next generation of zookeepers and its value to our Park and Animal Welfare Alicia Aitken Gumbuya World

9:30 AM - 9:45 AM

A Shift in Habitat Design: The South East Asia Precinct as a Case Study for Animal-Centred Habitat Design Lindi Louw Auckland Zoo

9:45 AM - 10:00 AM

Building a Buzz; Facilities that Inspire Invertebrate Awareness and Conservation Krystofer Loh Mandai Wildlife Group and Delvinder Kaur

10:00 AM - 10:15 AM

Collaborating to create a better future for Australia’s crocodiles. The story of CROC QLD Dan Kemp Ballarat Wildlife Park

11:00 AM - 11:30 AM

25 years protecting critically endangered tree kangaroos in Papua New Guinea Jean Thomas Tenkile Conservation Alliance

11:30 AM - 11:45 AM

Unearthing a Buried Treasure - Rearing and Breeding of Critically Endangered Southern Giant Burrowing Frogs at Melbourne Zoo Ryan Moes Melbourne Zoo

11:45 AM - 12:00 PM

Port Moresby Nature Park's Tree Kangaroo Keepers: Ambassadors of Papua New Guinea Conservation Felix Raguna Port Moresby Nature Park

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Creating a natural existence for captive cheetah in Australia for rewilding to South Africa Ben Britton Wild Cat Conservation Centre

12:15 PM - 1:15 PM

From little ideas big plants grow Boyd Watson Melbourne Zoo

12:30 PM - 1:15 PM

ASZK AGM - All to attend

ASZK Annual General Meeting for all members

2:15 PM - 3:15 PM

Gumbuya World

Buses leave 2:15 pm. Tours, dinner and silent auction. Buses will return delegates to the Rydges Hotel.

6:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Gumbuya World Dinner and silent auction

Silent Auction and dinner at Gumbuya World buses leave to return to Rydges at 10 pm - ETA 11 pm

Sunday, March 22

9:00 AM - 9:20 AM

Registration for Day delegates

9:30 AM - 9:45 AM

Navigating Hip Dysplasia in a young Dingo: Documenting the Care, Decision-Making and Recovery Hannah Minto Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary

9:45 AM - 10:00 AM

Open the door to open the mind – Are free-flight birds the key to the future of conservation education? Abbey Gambrell Territory Wildlife Park

10:00 AM - 10:15 AM

The Koala – Past, Present and Future Dylan Rielly Maru Koala and Animal Park

10:15 AM - 10:30 AM

The Long Journey Home - Dryococelus australis Rohan Cleave Melbourne Zoo

10:30 AM - 10:45 AM

Keeplympics: Using competition to highlight keeping skills, strengthen teamwork and improve culture within the Life Sciences team at Healesville Sanctuary Claire Spadoni Healesville Sanctuary

10:50 AM - 11:30 AM

Morning Tea

Morning Tea and Poster Session

11:30 AM - 11:45 AM

Keeping the Pride Together - Supporting Mum to raise her cub Katie Ness National Zoo and Aquarium

11:45 AM - 12:00 PM

Thirty Years of Tiger Island and the Shift to Protective Contact Philippa Blum Tiger Island Dreamworld

12:00 PM - 12:15 PM

Breeding for the Wild: Plains-wanderer Conservation from Captivity to Release Malinda Delahant and Meagan Thornton Werribee Open Range Zoo

12:15 PM - 12:30 PM

Reading between the fibres: Faecal Fibre Length as an Indicator for Optimizing Husbandry Practices in Geriatric Southern White Rhinoceroses (Ceratotherium simum simum) Georgie Byrne Auckland Zoo

12:30 PM - 12:45 PM

Towards selection of optimal foliar nutrients for the Koala P. cinereus health with the use of hyperspectral and chemical analysis Chloe Thomas WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo & The University of New England

12:50 PM - 2:00 PM

Lunch

2:00 PM - 2:15 PM

Reimagining Space for Non-releasable Raptors Lucy-Mae Gunders Dreamworld

2:15 PM - 2:30 PM

From Heartbreak to Heart-Warming: Rebuilding a Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) Family at Melbourne Zoo James Chiefalo Melbourne Zoo

2:30 PM - 2:45 PM

Resilient Zoos: Climate Preparedness, Emergency Response, and Staff Wellbeing Holly Thompson Perth Zoo

2:45 PM - 3:00 PM

Approaching 50 years in human care: one elephant’s story and a testament to progress in elephant husbandry and welfare at Zoos Victoria Jasmine de Milliano and Phoebe Allen Werribee Open Range Zoo

3:00 PM - 3:15 PM

Comparative locomotion in marsupial gliders: Implications for enclosure design, behaviour and rehabilitation Kieran M Baughan University of New South Wales

3:15 PM - 3:30 PM

Towards recovery of lowland Leadbeater’s possums: 13 years of conservation breeding in the face of extinction Kim Miller Healesville Sanctuary

3:30 PM - 4:15 PM

Afternoon tea

Afternoon Tea

4:15 PM - 5:00 PM

Presentations and Announcements and Close

Presentations for best paper and best poster as well as winners photo competition and other ASZK announcements

Monday, March 23

9:00 AM - 3:00 PM

UV lighting and heating workshop with Dr Frances Baines

Melbourne Zoo

9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Optional tours - Moonlit Sanctuary and Lilydale High School Reptile facility

9:00 PM

Event End

Speakers

No records found.