Do you know Dora the Explorer? Well, I am basically her — if she changed “Swiper, no swiping!” for “Wallaby, wait up!”, swapped the talking backpack for a field notebook full of wild clues (maybe a squashed sandwich too between pages 7 and 9), and spent her days bush-bashing to find traces left by animals. My mission? To solve mysteries about disappearing animals in Tasmania’s wilderness.
I’ve always been a bit of a wildlife geek. Growing up in Indonesia, I would chase after birds, watch ant colonies gathering their food, and never leave a zoo until my parents dragged me home. I love cute and cuddly creatures but I’m particularly fond of the shy, scary, or misunderstood animals. That curiosity led me to Tasmania to study zoology (the science of animals), where I got to track Eastern Quolls, an endangered cat sized, polka-dotted carnivorous marsupial. I have also helped figure out what happens to birds when people move into their backyards, and what this means for the environment around them.
Now, I get to call myself a conservation biologist. Although I’m still a fresh face in the wildlife world, I already spend my time tracking critters, decoding bird songs, and finding out the secret lives of animals. It’s a blend of science, problem-solving, and great adventures, with a healthy layer of mud and a whole scoop of love for these critters. I may not have a magic map, but I do have a goal: to help find and protect the creatures we share this planet with and stop them from disappearing for good.
