Former student Deleece McLaren joined our FdSc Animal Management students via live video link from New Zealand

Our FdSc Zoo Animal Management with Conservation students had an amazing opportunity recently when former student Deleece McLaren joined their session as a guest speaker, live from New Zealand. She spoke about her journey in the Animal industry, starting with studying with SSC!

Deleece completed her Level 3 Animal Management at South Staffordshire College before joining our HE programme and graduating from our BSc Zoo Animal Management course in 2009. Since graduating, Deleece has worked in a large range of UK zoos including our own Animal Zone, West Midlands Safari Park, Twycross Zoo, Newquay Zoo, Paignton Zoo and Living Coasts in Torquay. She then made the move to New Zealand to work in Wellington Zoo. Over her successful career in the zoo industry, she has also had opportunities to participate in a huge range of international, in situ conservation projects in Columbia, Venezuela, Brazil, Madrid, Costa Rica and Malaysia!

Deleece is now a true expert in primate husbandry having written husbandry guidelines for primate species for BIAZA and EAZA, and she is currently working on a range of conservation projects with other taxa including amazing projects with several penguin species in New Zealand.

It was a fantastic opportunity for our students to speak directly to someone who started in the same position as they currently in, and has gone on to lead a very successful career in the industry.

Massive thanks to Deleece for taking time out of her busy schedule (and doing so at an unsociable hour of the day from her end!)