Wes Mannion

Wes has had a passion for reptiles since he was young, and in his early teens moved to the Sunshine Coast, discovering Australia Zoo (then known as the Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park).

Reptile-mad, Wes would nag his parents to spend as much time as possible at the park and began working as a volunteer, doing his best to try and keep up with Steve. In 1988, he became the second full-time employee outside of the Irwin Family.

Wes' love of reptiles (especially snakes) and his get up-and-go attitude led to a natural progression of becoming not only Steve's right hand man, but also his best mate. When Wes wasn’t wrangling wildlife at the park, he spent all of his spare time with Steve on croc trips, or assisting with wildlife rescues and documentary filming around the world. Like peas in a pod these two were always up to something, and you can bet it generally had something to do with reptiles!

Today, Wes is the Director of Australia Zoo and sits on the board of Australia Zoo Wildlife Warriors (Australia Zoo's wildlife charity).