There are no visitors and staff are worried about safety but that isn't stopping the animal keepers at Wild Life Sydney Zoo from taking on new challenges during the coronavirus shutdown.
With social distancing measures keeping workers physically separated at the downtown Sydney wildlife park, the unusual scenario has meant zookeepers get the chance to care for animals they wouldn't usually be responsible for.
"If it's animals that we have worked with in the past that we are able to revisit and work a little bit more with now, it is exciting," curatorial supervisor and zookeeper Renee Howell said on Tuesday.
"It means changing things up, not only for us but the animals," she added.
Australia has been spared the high numbers of coronavirus cases seen in other countries, with about 6,600 infections and 71 deaths.
That has been attributed to heavy restrictions on public movement like border closures and shuttering most businesses that rely on paying visitors - including zoos.
The job of taking care of animals doesn't stop, however, even if the methods change.
Zoo workers are now split into two teams so that, if someone tests positive for the illness, the rest of their team must go into isolation while the other one can carry on.
That means keepers have to care for animals they are not necessarily specialists in.
Howell, who drives over 75 kilometers (46.6 miles) to work each day, said it wasn't just the animals the zookeepers were tending to but also the people they are interacting with on social media.
"I'm absolutely enjoying educating the public about one of my biggest passions in life, and the fact that we can't be face-to-face and I'm still able to do that through a computer screen or on the TV gives me joy," she said.
"I travel every single day to come to work and it is completely worth it, not only for the animals but of course that guest interaction even when they are not here on site."
(Reporting by Stefica Nicol Bikes,; Writing by Byron Kaye and Ed Osmond)
