Picture: Kym Whiteley (left), Alix Strasiotto and Sarah Martin with Roxy, a Jack Russell, at the Animal Welfare League. Picture by: MATT SULLIVAN

SCHOOL leavers in Penrith and the Lower Blue Mountains are lapping up new careers caring for animals and endangered bush at Kemps Creek.

The experience of looking after abandoned pets and helping in bush regeneration at the Animal Welfare League shelter is providing 20 youngsters with new starts.

The Bush, Bats and Biodiversity project is a part of the National Green Jobs Corp for young people between 17 and 24 and handled by MAX Employment.

Group members will receive a certificate II in conservation and land management on completing the project.

Kym Whiteley, 17, of Faulconbridge, is keen to follow a career with animals.

“I would like to work as a guide in a zoo because I love animals,” she said.

Sarah Martin, 20, of Winmalee, said she valued the experience at the shelter.

“I have learnt a lot about caring for animals and growing plants,” she said.

For Alix Strasiotto, 19, of Hazelbrook, it has been a case of making friends and learning about a possible career.

Animal Welfare League business development manager Danielle Nelson said the young people’s enthusiasm was infectious and attendance remained high.

“They have also started a vegetable garden on their own as a side project and are quite committed to their program,” she said.

The shelter, which is environmentally sustainable, is located on a pocket of the Cumberland State Forest and is home to endangered species of animals, plants and trees.

Picture and article from Penrith Press