When Greg Snell was flown to Australia to interview for the job of wildlife caretaker, he knew exactly what they were going to ask him. What he didn’t know was that he’d have to answer the questions with a 9-foot python named Olivia around his neck.But what would turn most people to jelly only emboldened the 27-year-old Oshawa man, whose role come December will be to travel around South Australia for six months, caring for all manner of wildlife from kangaroos to koalas.
“It was actually a welcome surprise — it cut out the seriousness and made it a lot more interactive and fun,” said Snell in a phone interview from Sydney, Australia with the Star.
The job is part of a competition dubbed The Best Jobs in the World — part of a marketing attempt by the South Australia Tourism Commission. The competition sought candidates for six jobs ranging from outback adventurer to chief funster, each of which carry a $100,000 paycheque. He beat out more than 600,000 applicants from 196 countries for one of the coveted spots.
Snell will be responsible for cuddling koalas, holding court with sea lions and waking kangaroos on Kangaroo Island, among other things as he works with local tour operators.
He comes equipped with a diploma in adventure tourism from College of the Rockies in British Columbia and a slew of international experience. When he finished high school, Snell chose to head out west and work at a ski hill in B.C. That’s where he first entered the world of adventure tourism and began a career that’s seen him get certification in whitewater rafting, rock climbing, mountaineering, scuba diving and kayaking, according to his mother Barbara Oram.
“What was interesting was that when we looked at what he had done over the last nine years, he had been preparing for this job but none of us knew it,” she told the Star from their family home in Oshawa.
Oram heard about her son’s accomplishment first through his Twitter account, where he documents his adventures. Snell will also produce videos and blog entries during his time in Australia.
“It’s just fabulous. He had done the best he could and it’s just so wonderful … I remember emailing him that morning … It is so wonderful when your kid really delivers everything they’re looking for,” she said.
Snell, who currently works as an adventure tour leader based in South America, was the only Canadian to qualify as one of the 18 finalists flown to Australia for interviews and a series of challenges. He chronicled the whole trip through videos and blog posts on his website.
One of the group’s adventures involved travelling off the coast of Port Lincoln, in South Australia, to swim with the sea lions.
“When you go to visit the sea lions and go swimming with them, they’re in a very contained bay. That’s where the young juveniles learn how to hunt and fish,” said Snell. “You feel like you’re a guest in their home. When you jump in there to go swimming, they’re very curious about who you are and what you’re doing there.”
He said the little lions would play with the swimmers and inspect them up close.
Snell will tour more of Australia and meet people he will be working with before returning to Canada for a break. He takes over as wildlife caretaker Dec. 1. Reported by Toronto Star 7 hours ago.