About Us
Dan Mangano,
BAnimVetBiosci
“It’s Dan Dan
the Reptile Man!”
Hi! I’m Dan Mangano, and I’m the co-founder of Aussie Wildlife Experiences.
It is the realisation of a childhood dream, an all-consuming passion for Australia’s fascinating and unusual creatures, and the result of over 15 years working in various roles with wildlife.
I’ve had a keen interest (to be honest, a complete obsession) with Australian wildlife since a very young age. My childhood was spent collecting bugs, chasing skinks in the garden and trying to identify all the birds at my local creek in Melbourne’s northern suburbs. When I was gifted a pet Shingleback named Rocky shortly before my 12th birthday, that really sealed the deal. I took Rocky to school to show my class, then the class next door, and suddenly I was doing mini-presentations for half the school!
Within a few years I was amassing quite the menagerie at home, developing an even deeper love and appreciation for each new species I worked with. Lizards, snakes, invertebrates, mammals, even native fish! It all fascinated me, and I found myself spending more and more time out in the bush trying to observe wildlife in their natural habitat as well. I then completed a Bachelor’s degree in Animal and Veterinary Biosciences at La Trobe University.
I have a particular passion for the species that fly under the radar
- the slightly more obscure (and sometimes downright weird!) native species that deserve just as much attention and protection as their bigger, more famous counterparts. Through meeting and educating people of all ages, I found that many everyday Aussies could tell me more about species from the other side of the planet than they could about the animals that may live in their own garden at home - and this really bothered me.
Why didn’t more people know about the incredible wildlife diversity they may share their city, suburb, and even their own backyard with?
Why don’t more people know what a bettong is?
Or that there are carpet pythons right here in Victoria?
…and so that became my mission.
From the cute and fluffy, to the weird and wonderful, my goal is to promote conservation by fostering positive connections between people and all of the amazing native wildlife Australia is lucky to have.
I believe that starts with introducing the younger generations to the wildlife of their local area and beyond, and reconnecting humans to the wonders of our natural world - and that belief is what Aussie Wildlife Experiences is founded upon.
