Kerrie is a qualified veterinary nurse, and began her career working for a number of Vet Surgeons in New South Wales, carrying out all aspects of small animal veterinary practices. After ten years as a practicing veterinary nurse, Kerrie landed a job at Taronga Zoo working with marine mammals.

In this position, she was responsible for developing and implementing husbandry practices for a range of animals including seals, tortoises and hippopotamus, and was heavily involved in the care and rehabilitation of sick and injured animals at Taronga Zoo�s Veterinary Quarantine Centre and Intensive Care Unit.

In 1989, Kerrie joined the Sea World team as a senior Marine Mammal Trainer, and three years later, she joined the curatorial unit. In this position as Assistant Curator, she helped to develop and implement feeding and husbandry regimes for many stranded marine mammals.

In the lead up to the opening of Polar Bear Shores, Kerrie will spend an eight week period overseas visiting other facilities and drawing on international expertise and knowledge. She will visit Toledo Zoo�s brand new Arctic exhibit, San Diego Zoo and then finally in early November, she will travel on to Reid Park Zoo in Arizona to accompany �Kanook� back to Sea World.

Kerrie and her team will concentrate heavily on the behavioural enrichment of the two bears, ensuring that the exhibit itself is dynamic in nature. This will be done by using the many enrichment elements of the exhibit such as wind and fog generation, and also moving and adding logs, shrubs and fallen trees and hiding food to ensure the bears are stimulated by their changing surroundings.

Sea World�s Polar Bear Shores is due to open in December 2000. The polar bear�s new home will also incorporate a cascading waterfall, a large chilled main pool that will be intermittently stocked with fish to allow the bears to hunt for food, and different natural substrates such as loam, gravel, river stone, rocks and natural bedding, to ensure the bears are highly stimulated.

Further information Emma Bain Communication Executive Sea World (07) 5588 2222 or 0408 759 659