Times have changed significantly since this photograph of the all-male staff at Melbourne Zoo was taken in 1896.

Zoos Victoria now employs over 500 staff.

Women are now well represented across all three Zoos Victoria sites. By 2010, Zoos Victoria's staff comprised of 59% women. Senior executive roles at Zoos Victoria consisted of 44% women, including the role of CEO (Zoos Victoria Annual Report, 2009-10).

These photographs, taken by the Argus newspaper, show Melbourne Zoo keeper, Jack Pinches coaxing a young girl, Janice Robinson, into patting and eventually holding a koala joey.

These photographs show elephant keeper Carl Mackaway brushing and giving a pedicure to Peggy at Melbourne Zoo in 1949.

Ernst Weber came to Australia from Germany in 1955, where he was an acrobat in a circus owned by his father. The knowledge and skills he gained in animal handling from working in the circus were invaluable to his work as a keeper at Melbourne the Zoo.

Strong links between zoos and circuses have existed throughout history. In the early 1900s the partnership between Melbourne Zoo and circuses was mutually beneficial. Elephants and other exotic animals were bought from and sold to circuses. At times the zoo also housed and cared for circus animals.

Melbourne Zoo's education program began in 1969, with 2900 visitors in its first year. This program was one of the most innovative in the world at the time. The Zoo's education department has developed over the past 43 years and is now recognised as one of the best in the world.

The development of education at Melbourne Zoo coincided with significant changes to the zoo. Dr Alfred Dunbavin Butcher had been on the Zoo Board since 1947. His appointment to Chairman in 1962 came at a time when the Zoo was experiencing a low point in its history.

By the 1960s the expectations of zoos had changed and the Zoo was struggling to stay afloat. Recognising that the brick and bar enclosures distressed the animals and were no longer what the public wanted to see, Dr Butcher instigated the replacement of these enclosures with ones that resembled the natural habitats of the animals. This was the beginning of Melbourne Zoo becoming a 'zoo without bars'.

During Dr Butcher's time as Chairman, the Lion Park with its elevated walkway was built - a world first. Innovations such as the walk-through Butterfly House and changes to the Great Flight Aviary were also created under the guidance of Dr Butcher. Not to be left out, a tree-top enclosure was built for the monkeys, with zoo visitors able to view the animals at tree-level.

The transformations which occurred during this period were instrumental in shaping the Zoo's future direction as an education and conservation organisation.

Uli Weiher was eighteen years old when she began working at Melbourne Zoo in 1969. New to Melbourne, Uli had grown up on a snake farm in Germany where she had also studied animal management.

At that time, female keepers were rare and she began her career in the animal nursery. She progressed to working with smaller primates and, eventually, the gorillas.

Uli was well-known for her key role in hand-raising baby gorillas Mzuri in 1984 and Yakini in 1999. She is now the Primate Specialist at Melbourne Zoo.