Wisdom & Action 2025 Workshop: Hope in Action with CEO Dr. Jenny Gray at Melbourne Zoo

How might we reimagine or remind ourselves of our inter-dependent relationship with nature?  

What possibilities emerge when we collectively embrace a mindset seeing ourselves as part of nature rather than separate from it? 

Living with Wildlife is about people power. Victoria's wildlife and ecosystems need our support to build resilience in a rapidly changing world. Within adversity lies the seeds of opportunity for innovation.

Zoos Victoria is a world-leading zoo-based conservation organisation on a transformative journey, placing ‘joy’ and ‘meaning’ at the heart of everything they do. Through joy and meaning, we can harness a collective passion for conservation, fostering a brighter future for wildlife and communities alike.

Join Dr Jenny Gray AM PSM, CEO of Zoos Victoria, alongside visiting guest Dr. Peter Apell from Jane Goodall Foundation in Uganda, for a day of joy and meaning as we explore how Hope in Action is ensuring a future rich in wildlife. Along with her team of Wildlife Conservation and Science Experts, journey behind the scenes at Melbourne Zoo for a unique and exclusive opportunity to experience the largest breeding and recovery programs for Critically Endangered wildlife within Victoria. Learn firsthand about the recovery efforts directly preventing extinction and ultimately recovering species in the wild.

This immersive ‘wild life in the heart of Melbourne’ will empower you with knowledge, encouraging your own capacity for change as a conservationist and in your communities. As we work towards a future rich in wildlife, we celebrate and share each victory as a source of hope, encouraged by what we can achieve when we work together. 

More about your host:

Dr Jenny Gray is the Chief Executive Officer at Zoos Victoria, charged with the operation of Melbourne Zoo, Healesville Sanctuary, Werribee Open Range Zoo and Kyabram Fauna Park. Jenny has qualifications in Civil Engineering, Transportation Engineering, Business Administration, and Ethics – a combination which provides a unique set of skills to tackle the challenges of transforming the four zoos that comprise Zoos Victoria. In 2016, Jenny completed her PhD in ethics with her thesis on “An Ethical Defense of Modern Zoos” published by CSIRO. Over the past 17 years, Jenny has led the transformation of Zoos Victoria into a zoo-based conservation organisation. Zoos Victoria has developed a unique model for contributing to measurable and meaningful conservation actions through their zoo operations, by holding and breeding endangered animals, supporting field projects and, most importantly, engaging visitors in measurable and meaningful conservation actions.

Listen to Small Giants Academy's inspiring conversation with Jenny on the Wisdom & Action podcast here, and learn more about Zoos Victoria work www.zoo.org.au/fighting-extinction/