Aussie Ark spotlights Operations Manager Dean Reid to mark World Ranger Day

With today being World Ranger Day, conservation organisation Aussie Ark is joining this global celebration by spotlighting the impressive career of Operations Manager Dean Reid.

World Ranger Day commemorates rangers injured or killed in the line of duty and celebrates their work protecting and conserving nature across the planet.

Reid acknowledges work for Aussie Ark is not dangerous, unlike that faced by his compatriots in places like Africa. But he says he has worked ‘on the front line of this vital conservation work’ for many years, with many challenges. Fuelling him is a deep love of Australian fauna and flora, which started as a ‘wee little boy’.

Reid lived in many places and tried different jobs ‘but was never happy’. His life changed when he joined Aussie Ark’s sister organisation the Australian Reptile Park in 2009, where he quickly progressed from volunteer to casual to finally Head of Mammals and Birds.

However it was in 2011 with the launch of Devil Ark – now Aussie Ark – that really cemented Reid’s life as a Wildlife Ranger. Working up through the ranks to his current role as Operations Manager, he has managed the breeding and rewilding of some of Australia’s most endangered species including the Tasmanian Devil and Eastern Quoll and has overseen the release of countless animals into the Barrington Wildlife Sanctuary. 

Reid shared “I think this is the very best work a wildlife ranger can be involved in. It’s measurable conservation unfolding right before our eyes.”

Reid said career highlights include rescuing and rehabilitating platypus during the NSW Drought, doing health checks on naturally occurring Koalas in the Ark’s sanctuary and managing the world-first release of Manning River Turtles back into the wild.

Reid adds “protecting and restoring wildlife is the most rewarding thing a human can do. So this World Ranger Day I encourage young people to enter the industry. Our planet needs your help!” 

If you would like to join the Aussie Ark team with measurable conservation work like Dean Reid, then head to www.aussieark.org.au and apply today!

As a not-for-profit organisation, Aussie Ark raises the necessary funds to continue its ambitious vision. Investment allows for the construction of captive facilities and predator proof fencing on semi-wild parcels of land. Aussie Ark is a registered environmental organisation and charitable institution under the Australian Charity and Not-for-Profit Commission. Aussie Ark has deductible gift recipient status (DGR status) and is registered for GST purposes. More information at www.aussieark.org.au