Hannah Kilen

Hannah grew up in Perth and has always been interested in nature and the environment. She studied Conservation Biology and Zoology at the University of Western Australia and completed Honours in 2015. The Honours project explored the function of the Southern Brown Bandicoot as an ecosystem engineer on the Swan Coastal Plain. Bandicoots are important agents of soil turnover/biopedturbation. Hannah found the effect of their diggings differed slightly in different habitat types, and that their diggings could potentially play an important role in post-fire environments. Since finishing university, Hannah has been working at Perth Zoo in the native species breeding program, breeding threatened native species for release back into wild habitats. She also takes part in conservation volunteer projects whenever possible, most regularly assisting in fauna monitoring and revegetation projects on Rottnest Island. Hannah says the Otways seem like such an incredible environment to be able to work in and during the internship she’s looking forward to building on her knowledge of wildlife monitoring and research, and developing her skills with a whole new range of species.