Roller Coaster Ready? Climb aboard!
If you’re imagining a quiet, slow-paced day program with muted voices and laminated worksheets — THINK AGAIN. Welcome to Wild Action’s NDIS-funded Zoo Crew Program, where neurodivergent young people (ages 15–30) get hands-on with wildlife, build life skills, make real friends, discover their strengths — and laugh A LOT.
This isn’t therapy disguised as fun.
This is fun that naturally becomes therapy.
This is a place where being animal-mad isn’t just accepted — it’s required.
Buckle up. You’re about to ride the silliest, wildest, most empowering roller coaster in Victoria.
🎢 A Safe Place to Be Authentically YOU
The first thing you feel when you walk into Zoo Crew?
Relief.
Because here, you’re allowed to:
- Flap
- Pace
- Stim
- Ask 300 questions
- Info-dump about reptiles
- Be quiet
- Wear headphones
- Take breaks
- Laugh loudly
- Say nothing
- Say everything
It’s structured enough to feel safe,
flexible enough to feel freeing,
and supportive enough to feel like home.
🦘 Your Co-Workers Have Fur, Feathers, Scales & Opinions
When you join Zoo Crew, your colleagues include:
- Kangaroos who hop into conversations
- Snakes who slide into selfies
- Echidnas who raid lunchboxes
- Bettongs who dig more holes than Bunnings sells shovels
- Sharks who glide like underwater supermodels
- Parrots who comment loudly on everyone’s business
- Stick insects pretending to be plants
- Turtles who ALWAYS have strong opinions
And, of course…
❤️ Memphis the Dalmatian
Not just the official zoo dog…
He’s the best friend, emotional support buddy, peacemaker, and professional lunch thief.
Because yes — parrots DO steal lunches, but if one goes missing, chances are?
It was Memphis.
The rather chubby, always-charming Dalmatian who believes every sandwich is a gift from the universe directly to him.
Even the animals adore him.
He’s basically the mayor.
😂 Daily Comedy Is Guaranteed
This is not a normal program.
This is a sitcom with wildlife.
Some of the daily highlights include:
🦘 A kangaroo stealing a rake and hopping off like a furry criminal
🐍 A python deciding your boot is now its sleeping bag
🦜 A parrot shouting “HELLOOOO?!” every single time someone crouches
🐢 A turtle launching into a slow-motion escape
🦔 An echidna climbing into someone’s backpack (usually looking for food)
🦉 A tawny frogmouth refusing to move because it’s “not his vibe today”
🐸 A frog sitting with judgmental energy, watching you work
🐶 Memphis trying to charm every single person into giving him snacks
The laughter is constant.
The joy is real.
The chaos is educational.
🧠 Real Skills, Learned Through Real Animals
Zoo Crew teaches more life skills than a thousand worksheets ever could.
Participants learn:
✔ Animal husbandry
✔ Diet preparation
✔ Handling and safe interaction
✔ Observational skills
✔ Scientific thinking
✔ Time management
✔ Cleaning and enclosure maintenance
✔ Social communication
✔ Teamwork
✔ Emotional regulation
✔ Confidence
✔ Adaptability
And they learn it while:
- Building possum playgrounds
- Preparing parrot enrichment toys
- Feeding sharks
- Cleaning turtle tanks
- Observing snake behaviour
- Weighing wombats (not for the faint hearted!)
- Prepping fruit banquets for fussy parrots
It’s education powered by curiosity… and occasional chaos.
👥 Small Groups = Maximum Comfort
Zoo Crew works in intentionally small groups so everyone feels:
- Safe
- Seen
- Supported
- Uncrowded
- Calm
- Included
No sensory overload.
No background chaos.
No social pressure.
Just a friendly, low-stress environment where everyone gets space to breathe and thrive.
🧑🏫 Guided by Experts — Led by TV Zoologist Chris Humfrey
Zoo Crew isn’t staffed by volunteers with a script.
It’s led by:
⭐ Highly trained wildlife keepers
⭐ Dedicated neurodiversity-aware mentors
⭐ Compassionate educators
⭐ Animal specialists
⭐ And proudly spear-headed by TV Zoologist Chris Humfrey
Chris brings energy, fun, depth of knowledge, passion, and a wild sense of humour that instantly makes participants feel welcome, appreciated, and connected.
The team is endlessly patient, wonderfully encouraging, and always ready to support participants through structured, predictable tasks — or surprise adventures.
🎓 Career Pathways? Absolutely.
Zoo Crew isn’t just fun — it’s a launch pad.
Many participants go on to:
🎓 TAFE Animal Studies
🎓 Cert III in Captive Animal Management
🎓 Wildlife courses
🎓 Veterinary nursing pathways
🎓 Volunteering opportunities
🎓 Paid animal care roles
Why? Because they’ve built:
- Confidence
- Competence
- Experience
- Responsibility
- Real-world skills
Zoo Crew doesn’t just teach animal care.
It teaches identity, purpose, and possibility.
❤️ Why Zoo Crew Matters
Because neurodivergent young people deserve:
🌟 A place where they belong
🌟 A space where they are celebrated
🌟 A program that sees their strengths
🌟 A community that gets them
🌟 A routine that feels safe
🌟 A challenge that feels exciting
🌟 A future they can believe in
Zoo Crew is safe.
Structured.
Supportive.
Joyful.
Empowering.
And ridiculously fun.
Wild Action’s Zoo Crew: Come for the Animals, Stay for the Transformation
Participants don’t go home saying,
“I attended a program.”
They go home saying:
- “A kangaroo ate my broom.”
- “Memphis stole my sandwich!”
- “I fed a python!”
- “The parrot learned my name.”
- “I made a friend today.”
- “I feel safe here.”
- “I want to work with animals now.”
- “This is where I belong.”
Because they do.
And we can’t wait to welcome the next wild, wonderful, animal-obsessed superstar.
Roller Coaster Ready? Climb aboard!
If you’re imagining a quiet, slow-paced day program with muted voices and laminated worksheets — THINK AGAIN. Welcome to Wild Action’s NDIS-funded Zoo Crew Program, where neurodivergent young people (ages 15–30) get hands-on with wildlife, build life skills, make real friends, discover their strengths — and laugh A LOT.
This isn’t therapy disguised as fun.
This is fun that naturally becomes therapy.
This is a place where being animal-mad isn’t just accepted — it’s required.
Buckle up. You’re about to ride the silliest, wildest, most empowering roller coaster in Victoria.
🎢 A Safe Place to Be Authentically YOU
The first thing you feel when you walk into Zoo Crew?
Relief.
Because here, you’re allowed to:
- Flap
- Pace
- Stim
- Ask 300 questions
- Info-dump about reptiles
- Be quiet
- Wear headphones
- Take breaks
- Laugh loudly
- Say nothing
- Say everything
It’s structured enough to feel safe,
flexible enough to feel freeing,
and supportive enough to feel like home.
🦘 Your Co-Workers Have Fur, Feathers, Scales & Opinions
When you join Zoo Crew, your colleagues include:
- Kangaroos who hop into conversations
- Snakes who slide into selfies
- Echidnas who raid lunchboxes
- Bettongs who dig more holes than Bunnings sells shovels
- Sharks who glide like underwater supermodels
- Parrots who comment loudly on everyone’s business
- Stick insects pretending to be plants
- Turtles who ALWAYS have strong opinions
And, of course…
❤️ Memphis the Dalmatian
Not just the official zoo dog…
He’s the best friend, emotional support buddy, peacemaker, and professional lunch thief.
Because yes — parrots DO steal lunches, but if one goes missing, chances are?
It was Memphis.
The rather chubby, always-charming Dalmatian who believes every sandwich is a gift from the universe directly to him.
Even the animals adore him.
He’s basically the mayor.
😂 Daily Comedy Is Guaranteed
This is not a normal program.
This is a sitcom with wildlife.
Some of the daily highlights include:
🦘 A kangaroo stealing a rake and hopping off like a furry criminal
🐍 A python deciding your boot is now its sleeping bag
🦜 A parrot shouting “HELLOOOO?!” every single time someone crouches
🐢 A turtle launching into a slow-motion escape
🦔 An echidna climbing into someone’s backpack (usually looking for food)
🦉 A tawny frogmouth refusing to move because it’s “not his vibe today”
🐸 A frog sitting with judgmental energy, watching you work
🐶 Memphis trying to charm every single person into giving him snacks
The laughter is constant.
The joy is real.
The chaos is educational.
🧠 Real Skills, Learned Through Real Animals
Zoo Crew teaches more life skills than a thousand worksheets ever could.
Participants learn:
✔ Animal husbandry
✔ Diet preparation
✔ Handling and safe interaction
✔ Observational skills
✔ Scientific thinking
✔ Time management
✔ Cleaning and enclosure maintenance
✔ Social communication
✔ Teamwork
✔ Emotional regulation
✔ Confidence
✔ Adaptability
And they learn it while:
- Building possum playgrounds
- Preparing parrot enrichment toys
- Feeding sharks
- Cleaning turtle tanks
- Observing snake behaviour
- Weighing wombats (not for the faint hearted!)
- Prepping fruit banquets for fussy parrots
It’s education powered by curiosity… and occasional chaos.
👥 Small Groups = Maximum Comfort
Zoo Crew works in intentionally small groups so everyone feels:
- Safe
- Seen
- Supported
- Uncrowded
- Calm
- Included
No sensory overload.
No background chaos.
No social pressure.
Just a friendly, low-stress environment where everyone gets space to breathe and thrive.
🧑🏫 Guided by Experts — Led by TV Zoologist Chris Humfrey
Zoo Crew isn’t staffed by volunteers with a script.
It’s led by:
⭐ Highly trained wildlife keepers
⭐ Dedicated neurodiversity-aware mentors
⭐ Compassionate educators
⭐ Animal specialists
⭐ And proudly spear-headed by TV Zoologist Chris Humfrey
Chris brings energy, fun, depth of knowledge, passion, and a wild sense of humour that instantly makes participants feel welcome, appreciated, and connected.
The team is endlessly patient, wonderfully encouraging, and always ready to support participants through structured, predictable tasks — or surprise adventures.
🎓 Career Pathways? Absolutely.
Zoo Crew isn’t just fun — it’s a launch pad.
Many participants go on to:
🎓 TAFE Animal Studies
🎓 Cert III in Captive Animal Management
🎓 Wildlife courses
🎓 Veterinary nursing pathways
🎓 Volunteering opportunities
🎓 Paid animal care roles
Why? Because they’ve built:
- Confidence
- Competence
- Experience
- Responsibility
- Real-world skills
Zoo Crew doesn’t just teach animal care.
It teaches identity, purpose, and possibility.
❤️ Why Zoo Crew Matters
Because neurodivergent young people deserve:
🌟 A place where they belong
🌟 A space where they are celebrated
🌟 A program that sees their strengths
🌟 A community that gets them
🌟 A routine that feels safe
🌟 A challenge that feels exciting
🌟 A future they can believe in
Zoo Crew is safe.
Structured.
Supportive.
Joyful.
Empowering.
And ridiculously fun.
Wild Action’s Zoo Crew: Come for the Animals, Stay for the Transformation
Participants don’t go home saying,
“I attended a program.”
They go home saying:
- “A kangaroo ate my broom.”
- “Memphis stole my sandwich!”
- “I fed a python!”
- “The parrot learned my name.”
- “I made a friend today.”
- “I feel safe here.”
- “I want to work with animals now.”
- “This is where I belong.”
Because they do.
And we can’t wait to welcome the next wild, wonderful, animal-obsessed superstar.
