When I was a little girl I wanted to be a zookeeper but my fear of birds got in the way so I ended up being a journo.
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As the National Zoo and Aquarium celebrates its 20th birthday, I thought I'd try my hand at being a zookeeper to see what it's like to work with animals all day, every day and show the important work keepers and zoos do for animal conservation.
There was no other agenda ... OK, I lie, I really wanted to pat the animals.
Our day started bright and early and cold - minus six degrees, the coldest morning of 2018 in Canberra so far.
First stop - the Goodfellow's tree kangaroo enclosure where we met keeper Brendo and eight-year-old Simbu. The day begins with a clean of the enclosure and a morning feed. Simbu's favourite treat is avocado and he doesn't mind a snow pea or corn.
As part of the zoo's regional breeding program for endangered species, Simbu was relocated from Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary on the Gold Coast in May to hopefully be paired with nine-year-old Oumak.
A quick scratch on the back for Simbu and we're off to see keeper Katie at the tiger enclosure.
We begin by putting our feet and shoes in foot baths, which contain diluted bleach to prevent cross-contamination between animals and species.
In one hand a rake to scoop up any faeces or rubbish and in the other hand a bucket of meat for the tiger's breakfast. After a quick inspection for any poo, we put out the food high on a tree trunk for the tigers to find.
Next, we're off to prepare the yard for the giraffes. For such tall and large animals, giraffe droppings are very small and oval shaped - sort of like a chocolate coated almond. We bundle some branches with leaves, attach them to a rope and pull it up high for the giraffes.
By 9.30am the zoo was open to the public.
We hopped back in the buggy and headed to the sun bears to meet keeper Caitlin. Did you know keepers brush sun bears' teeth? And it's not with just any old toothbrush, but an electric one. Keeper Caitlin shows me the ropes and gives me prompts to when I can brush Otay's teeth. In the wild, sun bears get their dental hygiene through things they eat.
Up next, we went to see the penguins and give their yard a rake to soften the cold sand, keeper Danielle tells me. The penguins at Canberra Zoo are named after rappers, so the next time you're there you could meet Snoop!
Our second last stop was a visit to the ruffed lemur's enclosure where we met keeper Rachael who tells us lemurs were curious by nature and not to be surprised if they jumped on the cameraman's tripod. Keepers run drills with portable cages and sultanas to get the lemurs comfortable with being transported.
Our last and final stop was probably the zoos best-known attraction, Solo, the cheetah cub and his best friend Zama.
Last month, the pair "graduated" to their "big on-display" enclosure where Solo could continue his work as an ambassador cheetah participating in encounters and raising awareness for the plight of his species. It is estimated that about 7000 cheetahs are in the wild.
After some pats and play time, it was time to say goodbye, pack our gear and head back to the newsroom.
The verdict: It's a lot more than cuddling animals. It's early starts and sometimes its 24-hour care for the animals. It was great to play zookeeper for the day, and even though I loved it, I think I'll stick to my day job.
Details: The zoo is celebrating its 20th birthday with activities for the whole month. Further information at nationalzoo.com.au
