Don’t monkey round with Quinn
A young zoo keeper who will compete against 15 other Kiwis on the new reality TV show Survivor
New Zealand hopes her experience with wildlife will give her an edge.
Shannon Quinn has worked with animals — predominantly primates — at Christchurch’s Orana Park and Auckland Zoo, so she should be in her element in the Nicaraguan jungle — the setting of the first season of the New Zealand version of the hit US programme Survivor, which premieres tonight at
7pm on TVNZ 2.
One of the 16 people selected to compete for a $100,000 prize on
Survivor New Zealand, Quinn told the Herald on Sunday being observant was important as a zoo keeper.
“Any animals that we’re working with every single day, we have to know if their behaviour has changed, even in the slightest, because that could be a sign that something might be wrong.
”[That] could definitely help me on the island because I would imagine that if somebody was beginning to lie to you they would start acting a little bit differently.
“And being able to pick up that change in behaviour could actually help me.”
The 24-year-old, originally from Geraldine, looked forward to potentially getting up close to howler monkeys in Nicaragua.
She was also keen to see some of the more dangerous creatures, like snakes and tarantulas, but was hoping to avoid scorpions and any animals lurking in the water — other than fish or sea turtles.
Having worked as an actor for a few years before beginning her zoo keeping career, Quinn knows her way around film sets and is ready to use this to her advantage.
“I see it more as I’m playing a game.
“I think in terms of doing my best at this game I might need to be a bit more of a character than just being my natural self,” she said.
● See Sunday Travel: Holding a torch for Nicaragua