Hills Independent #77 November 2021 | Page 6

LOCAL LIFE

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Ben loves hanging out with all the reptiles at Kellyville Pets where he works . Photo : Kathryn Johnston

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Snakes and lizards may not be everyone ’ s cup of tea when it comes to pets but for Ben Dessen they have always held an attraction . Where most kids want a puppy or a kitten , Ben ’ s fascination with reptiles began at an early age when he got his first snake at just six years old .
His parents , understanding that his love of reptiles was important , gave him a pet hatchling children ’ s python , called Rosie , for his birthday . Ben explained where his love of these creatures comes from .
“ Rosie is a children ’ s python , a small native species of snake from North Qld . They are small , only one metre long , docile and easy to handle . I had been to the reptile park and loved the snakes , my parents encouraged this and got her for me .”
From this small start , learning to look after Rosie , Ben followed his passion for learning about animals and took subjects at school that would allow him to study Animal Science and Conservation Biology at the University of Sydney .
Before he graduated with distinctions , Ben was lucky enough to be chosen for an adventure of a lifetime , to help establish an orangutan orphanage and rehabilitation centre in Borneo .
“ It sounds cliched , but it was a life changing experience . I came across the application from an organisation looking for 11 young people to work with the local people to help orangutangs in Borneo ,” Ben said .
“ We had to find out what the local people wanted then go back to our own countries to figure out solutions and do fundraising to start the project . The biggest thing I was involved in over there was rescuing Jojo , a baby orangutang . She was one of the first to be released into a protected rainforest area and has basically been an ambassador for the whole project .”
Since his first trip to help set the orphanage up , Ben has been back to Borneo many times to continue his work there and help support the local volunteers . It was also the place of his scariest animal encounter . Ben , along with others , had been scouting in the jungle at night , when they disturbed a local resident .
“ We could hear ‘ chuffing ’ in the bush and had disturbed a sun bear . It chased us and we had to run through the jungle in the middle of the night ! Sun bears are the smallest bears in the world , but they are still big enough to look you in the eye .”
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6 ISSUE 77 // NOVEMBER 2021 theindependentmagazine . com . au THE HILLS INDEPENDENT