Dr. Richard Jakob-Hoff
Richard was born in Switzerland, grew up in England and started working as a keeper at just the age of 16. Richard’s passion for science and research lead him to become a qualified vet in 1981, and seven years later he emigrated to New Zealand to work at Auckland Zoo. The Zoo is lucky to have a man as passionate and experienced as Richard, who, for six years was our Senior Curator, before becoming Senior Vet for 17-years, and for the past five years Manager of Conservation Science and Research. The things he loves most about his role is the professional and personal challenges of applying science in the zoo, and reaping the rewards of his team’s research which benefits the welfare of Auckland Zoo’s animals.
When asked for words of wisdom, Richard said “I can’t better Mahatma Ghandi’s advice ‘Be the change you want to see in the world’.”