Dr Kelly Hare
Position: Scholarships Manager, University of Waikato. Previously a postdoctoral researcher, University of Otago. Field: Zoology.
When we first met Dr Kelly Hare in 2010, she was a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Zoology at the University of Otago, specialising in reptile conservation, physiology and reproduction. Learn about her work on captive management regimes for skinks.
Boa constrictor
Kelly has a close encounter with a boa constrictor during a field trip to the Amazon. Kelly was in Brazil attending the 6th World Congress of Herpetology.
Kelly has always had an avid interest in animals, and as a child, she kept a multitude of strange and wonderful pets, including frogs, turkeys, chickens, kōura and skinks. Her parents supported this interest by providing books on animals, taking her into the wilds of New Zealand to experience nature first hand and encouraging Kelly to try multiple placements at local vet clinics. In fact, Kelly always thought she would become a vet, but at the last minute, she changed her mind and enrolled at Victoria University of Wellington to undertake a science degree in geology and biology.
The life of a scientist is as diverse as the questions we aim to answer – it is rarely static and always stimulating.
In her second year of undergraduate studies, Kelly had the opportunity to assist a professor with his research on native frogs. This was a pivotal moment in her life as Kelly realised that research was not only an excellent excuse to work in the outdoors, but also provided a stimulating intellectual environment, while aiding conservation. Fascinated with the weird and wonderful adaptations of New Zealand’s reptiles and amphibians, Kelly went on to complete a master’s degree and PhD project at Victoria University, studying the reproductive biology and cold-adaptation of lizards.
Fat skink, thin skink
Dr Kelly Hare, from the University of Otago, talks about her research into the captive management of lizards. Kelly’s aim is to find out which captive management options will produce the healthiest individuals for future translocations. Should skinks be kept on a diet or able to eat as much as they like? How much basking time is best?
Jargon alert: Translocation: when a number of individuals are transported to a new area to establish a new population or to help restore an existing population.
Kelly then took up a position as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Otago, where she undertakes full-time research. Her project involved developing conservation methods using a common species of lizard, in the hope that these can then be applied to threatened species. In particular, Kelly was interested in which captive husbandry regimes (diet and housing) result in the healthiest offspring for future translocations.
Kelly is currently the Scholarships Manager at the University of Waikato, where she provides strategic support for the allocation of scholarships to students in every discipline. Kelly maintains her research career through strong collaborations with colleagues throughout New Zealand and globally, providing outcomes that continue to support conservation of New Zealand’s fauna.
Kelly’s interests outside of science include travel and exploration, rock climbing, woodwork and solving problems.
Useful link
Kelly was secretary of the Society for Research on Amphibians and Reptiles in New Zealand. Visit their website for more information.
This article is based on information current in 2010 and updated in 2018.
