A Decade of Fighting Extinction

Imagine if you were sent to save a species. For years you had been tracking the progress of your species, monitoring increasing threats and observing the slow and steady decline in numbers. With climate change and extreme weather events, like the bushfire of 2019-20, compounding ongoing threats of habitat destruction, pests, pollution and disease, the future for many species is increasingly precarious.

It is within this landscape that good zoos and aquariums are making a difference for species survival. Driven by the extinction of the Christmas Island Pipistrelle in 2009, Zoos Victoria has spent the last decade fighting extinction. Tackling the challenge in two ways, working with the most vulnerable Victorian species and addressing the most urgent threats, Zoos Victoria has developed a strong position that extinctions can be avoided.

Imagine no wine, or chocolate or coffee, owing to the extinction of the species crucial for maintaining the habitats that produce these products, either through seed dispersal or pollination. We have a duty to a future rich in wildlife for our children and all future generations; a duty to our own species’ survival, as well as non-human animals.

With so many species on the brink of extinction, the work of good zoos is becoming increasingly important. At Zoos Victoria we can show that species can be saved, in partnerships, with good science and truly engaging your community.

Dr Jenny Gray is charged with the operation of the Melbourne Zoo, Healesville Sanctuary and the Werribee Open Range Zoo.  Jenny has a wide range of public and private sector experience having worked in transportation, airlines and banking, before moving into the Zoo industry.

Jenny has qualifications in Civil Engineering, Transportation Engineering, Business Administration and Ethics.  She brings a passion for animals and the environment to facilitate the transformation of Zoos Victoria into a Zoo Based Conservation Organisation.  Her operational and financial skills will ensure that this is achieved in a financially sustainable manner.

In 2016 Jenny completed her PhD in ethics with her thesis on “An Ethical Defence of Modern Zoos.” Her thesis has been turned into a book called “Zoo Ethics”.

Jenny serves on a number of governing bodies; she is Past President of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums, is a council-appointed member of the Victoria University Council, and President of Not In My Workplace, a small association committed to addressing sexual harassment in the workplace.