Meet the Directors

Melbourne Zoo

Celebrating its 160th anniversary in 2022, Melbourne Zoo has a long history under its belt and at the helm is newly appointed Director, Sheri Horiszny. After working in advertising and marketing for more than a decade, Sheri wanted to pursue a career that would “make a positive difference for the planet” and has since worked in animal and executive management for more than 20 years.

WORDS Lisa Marie Corso

Atrip to the zoo is always filled with excitement and anticipation. Which animals will you visit first?

Will the lions be lazing in the sun or feasting in front of me? What animals will I spy on the savannah?

Behind the scenes, there’s a team of clever humans working hard to ensure your visit to the zoo is memorable and the conservation work your visits support is impactful. Let us introduce you to the four Directors leading our zoo properties and take a look inside their worlds.

Hailing from the USA, Sheri first met Dr Jenny Gray at a conservation conference in San Francisco. She was representing the Giraffe Conservation Alliance program she had started in September 2014. Now in her role as Director of Melbourne Zoo, Sheri says it’s her intention to “support our wonderful staff at Melbourne Zoo so that they can provide the best possible care for the animals and our environment, while creating exceptional experiences for our members and visitors”.

Her highlights for 2023 include seeing the elephant calves and the newly renovated Kangaroo space in the Australian Bush habitat.

Healesville Sanctuary

Known for its diversity of Australian wildlife, Healesville Sanctuary is led by Director Ross Williamson.

Before joining the organisation in 2017, Ross worked in conservation reserve management with Parks Victoria, as well as the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) for 30 years as a biologist, park ranger and manager.

When you meet Ross his passion for Australian wildlife conservation shines. “This spans from the Fighting Extinction work on threatened species to connecting our members and visitors with our resident wildlife, and inspiring them to act to protect them – it’s what keeps me going,” he explains.

Ross and the Healesville Sanctuary team always put the welfare of the wildlife in their care first and are striving to be the world’s best wildlife sanctuary.

“Our care is on display everywhere, but particularly at the Australian Wildlife Health Centre where we care for not only our residents, but more than 2,000 injured or sick native animals every year,” he explains.

To find out more about Kyabram Fauna Park seepage6

Kyabram Fauna Park

Kyabram Fauna Park is led by Director Lachlan Gordon, who has worked as a wildlife keeper from Cairns to Ballarat. Lachlan was formerly General Manager of Kyabram Fauna Park before becoming Director in October 2022.

A true wildlife advocate, Lachlan is deeply proud of the work his team achieves and the safe space the park offers for the animals in its care.

“Along with looking after the 600 resident animals that call the park home, we have also created habitats to provide food and shelter for free-ranging wildlife,” he says. “This has included the planting of more than 7,000 trees and plants, which has seen the return of 35 species of birds to the local area.”

One of the things Lachlan enjoys most about Kyabram Fauna Park is that it’s a bird-lovers’ paradise. “Twitchers can explore our aviaries in awe,” he says. “They can climb the observation tower and watch birdlife across the wetlands or take up a position from one of the viewing hides.”

Werribee Open Range Zoo

Meanwhile, the Director of Werribee Open Range Zoo, Dr Mark Pilgrim began his career as a birdkeeper at England’s Chester Zoo in 1988. “It was never intended to be a career; I just thought it would be fun,” he says. However, he loved the role so much he worked there for decades and eventually became CEO.

Dr Pilgrim has also worked extensively as an animal conservationist and has a lifelong fascination with elephants and rhinos. He was appointed the first chair of the UK Government/British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquarium’s Elephant Welfare Group and has coordinated the Eastern Black Rhino European Association of Zoos and Aquariums Ex situ Programme (EEPs) for more than 15 years.

Dr Pilgrim and team are currently working hard on the Werribee Open Range Zoo Expansion, which includes expanded facilities and landscapes for priority conservation species, and the new home for Melbourne Zoo’s elephant herd, a 21-hectare habitat to roam across.

A fun animal fact he’s learned on the job? “How fussy koalas are about their food.

We produce super fresh, high-quality browse for them from our plantation and they often turn their noses up at it.”

What is browse?

Browse is a general term for all growth of trees and shrubs including branches, bark, leaves and buds. This is used as food for a variety of the animals in our care.