Ottawa Nature Centre Director

His career began with his private collection of reptiles back home in South Africa with everything from iguanas, to cobras, to adders. It turned into a career not long after and to this day he is following his passion. Overall, he has a total of 23 years of zoo experience of which 13 years were at Accredited Facilities.

Lee's experience is extensive. He has worked for the Swadini (Khamai) Reptile Centre (South Africa), the Big Five Game Trails (South Africa), as well as Reptilia Zoo & Education Centre in Ontario. He has also done a lot of snake wrangling for natural history documentaries (National Geographic, Discovery & BBC).

As zoo director at Little Ray's Nature Centre, he continues to manage facility operations and staff training. One of his biggest passions to this day is teaching adults and kids alike about animals of which so many people have phobias and helps them overcome their fears and misconceptions.

Ottawa Nature Centre Curator

Natalie started off her career in interior design and while working as a designer fresh out of college she began volunteering at the Toronto Wildlife Centre. It was then that she first realized that the animal field is where her true passion lies. Not long after, she began working at Reptilia Zoo & Education Centre in Vaughan, Ontario, as an Animal Ambassador teaching the public about reptiles and their importance to our environment.

After a few years of curating and continuously growing her skills, she took on the design, build, and managing of Reptilia’s second location with her husband Lee.

As Head Curator at Little Ray’s Nature Centre, she has broadened her knowledge with a variety of mammals and birds of prey as well. Working closely with our Veterinarian during our scheduled bi-weekly visits she has also seen many different cases and learned a tremendous amount. She is in charge of the overall health and well-being of the current collection as well as any new animals coming in. She assists with the training of all staff as well as making sure that our animal and human welfare is always her priority.

Hamilton Nature Centre Director/Curator

Amanda is the Curator at the Little Ray's in Hamilton. She attended the University of Guelph for Biological Sciences and Nutrition and Nutraceutical Sciences, with an emphasis on animal science. Unsure of what she wanted to do with her degree, while in university she saw a posting for Little Ray's and knew she had to apply - the rest is history!

Amanda has been with Little Ray's for 5 years now. As the curator, she has a wide range of duties. She helps with the care of the animals and ensures that the care and welfare of the animals are to the highest standard. She is also responsible for training new staff on policies, procedures, animal handling and animal presentations.

Amanda works closely with the Veterinarian and is responsible for keeping the animal records up-to-date. In addition to those duties,  you can find Amanda at the front desk answering emails and the phone but also enthusiastically presenting to visitors of all ages on her favourite thing - the animals!!

Director of Education

Dr. Ngo is our Director of Animal Welfare and Education. As a biologist, Dr. Ngo is involved in academic research and conservation, even publishing here at Little Ray’s. His experience in this field is an asset as we arrange for permits and evaluate best practices in our animal care and museum exhibitions.

He is also an educator with a passion for curriculum development, and has taught full time at the elementary, middle school, high school, and even college level, giving him additional insight into the needs of the educational community as well as those of museum and zoo visitors. This combined with decades of zoo, museum, and animal husbandry experience, has made him a natural fit as our Director of Animal Welfare and Education.

Dr. Ngo is passionate about both conservation and education, and this comes through as he helps develop exhibit content, curriculum compliant educational programs, and our animal care and welfare programs.