Elaine Anderson and Sanya Masood, graduate wildlife biologists, joined Avisure’s Southern regional team in September last year.
For Elaine, ‘it was a bit of a journey’ to Avisure, and like many biology students, ‘just didn’t know it (aviation wildlife hazard management) was a thing’. Her undergrad degree was in zoology and geology, with an honours degree at Monash University in palaeoentomology (fossil insects), continuing her interest in insects with volunteering at the Melbourne Museum.
It seemed a natural progression to follow a more academic route, so having moved to Adelaide, she began a PhD in evolutionary biology. However, ‘COVID and chronic heath stuff’ intervened, forcing the study to be put on hold, so she capitalised on nursery hand experience in the Bunnings’ nursery department to become a horticulturalist for a local nursery. When the Avisure job was advertised, she leapt at the chance, applied, and now almost nine months later is thrilled to be part of the team.
Sanya’s experience is similar, but different. A South Australian, Sanya did concurrent degrees at the University of Adelaide’s Roseworthy campus in animal science and behaviour, study she believes has equipped her well for her current role. ‘I am pretty adept in animal handling – it’s something I’ve been doing since I was a kid’ and it is ‘certainly a useful skill for what I’m doing now’.
Like Elaine, Sanya volunteered with animal organisations, taking care of companion animals at the RSPCA, and teaching kids about marine animals at the Marine Discovery Unit. She also had experience of handling larger animals, looking after a sick giraffe at the Adelaide Zoo, as well as handling farm animals and being involved in animal breeding programs while at Roseworthy.
Her role as a graduate wildlife biologist is her first full-time job. ‘There are so many huge highlights in my time so far – it’s such a unique career, and the perfect combination of field and desk work. There are a whole lot of intelligent people at Avisure’, Sanya says, ‘with diverse backgrounds in environmental science, zoology, horticulture, but we complement one another’s skills.’
They are both thoroughly enjoying the ‘non-stop learning’ at the moment, the chance to apply their skills and learn new ones, turning their scientific observations into actionable reports; as Sanya says, ‘improving my capacity to apply knowledge, to take my observations and turn them into a plan’.
Elaine has ‘always had a bit to do with aviation’. She grew up in the UK near the RAF Fairford Airfield in Gloucestershire and is loving the opportunity to learn more about the airside environment, making radio calls, applying her knowledge of plant species and learning more about the diverse bird species she encounters. ‘Aviation and wildlife: it’s too interesting not to do!’
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