CAT WOMAN

News Source: Weekender, page 10, Friday 29th October, 2004
By: David Morris

Twenty-year-old Australia Zoo tiger handler Lisa Baker is a purr-fect advocate for these big cats threatened by extinction.

Tigers are instinctual creatures and so too it seems is Lisa’s affinity with them, as evidenced by her rise from casual admissions attendant to full-time big cat handler in less than two years.

She outperformed many perspective handlers in a selection process to join the Australia Zoo’s tiger training program in January this year and her achievements prompted the Zoo to nominate her for a Sunshine Coast excellence in business award.

Now she is performing her dream job, hanging out with the tigers and learning their behaviours. Tigers are normally untrusting loners but the Zoo’s three Sumatran and three Bengal tigers have been raised from infancy and look forward to their encounters with their minders.

“I love the interactive side of it, whether it is sitting around with them or cuddling them with a toy” Lisa says. “I love them all; each of their personalities is starting to come through – the cheeky ones, the naughty ones.

“They’re not silly; if a staff member drops their radio, they’ll grab it and run as fast as they can and drop it in the water.

“It’s cute when you give them milk; (Bengal tiger) Manas snorts, you can hear him coming, pushing his brothers out of the way (to get to the milk). They try to hold each other down under the water. Manas is fatter and usually gets pinned down first.”

The fun side is always tempered by the fact that tigers are by nature treacherous and there’s always to need to be alert. Also Australia Zoo’s mission is a sober one – to develop a breeding program in the fight to save tigers from extinction.

Lisa is part of a team of six that includes vastly experienced big cat supervisors Bruce, Robbie and Giles. They are currently setting up what will be a state-of-the-art tiger enclosure scheduled to open around Easter next year.

The Zoo’s wildlife veterinarian Dr Hanger recently visited Sumatra as an emissary for wildlife and tiger conservation, to hold workshops on treating wildlife emergencies and work alongside Fauna and Flora International (FFI).

“The poaching of animals such as tigers is a huge problem, in Sumatra,” a Zoo spokesperson says. “The FFI team has witnessed many animals viciously caught in snares, horrible traps that seriously maim and kill the unfortunate animals that cross their paths.

“One of Dr Hanger’s main initiatives in his workshops is to address this issue and deal with how to catch, handle, treat and then release these animals.”

Back at the Zoo, Lisa says it has become highly popular for people to pay to go on a walk with a tiger and their minder before opening time. All proceeds go towards tiger conservation and bookings can be made by phoning 436 2002.

As for Lisa, she’s living her dream job, hanging out with the big cats all day long.