From snakes to crocs, Steel Blue helps keep wildlife warrior safe
- Michelle Jones’ career as a wildlife conservationist means she regularly handles some of Australia’s most dangerous animals
- Her adventures include raising orphaned joeys, tagging crocodiles with the Irwins and running a wildlife sanctuary
- Michelle wears Steel Blue work boots for comfort during very long days… and reassurance during rescues!
When Michelle Jones was 18 months old, her parents found her sitting in her playpen in the company of one of Australia’s (and the world’s) most venomous snakes—a dugite.
“Sadly, they killed the snake to make sure I was safe,” Michelle said.
What her parents couldn’t have known was that Michelle would go on to spend her life not just catching and helping venomous snakes but helping with the rescue and conservation of Australian wildlife as diverse as crocodiles to echidnas. She’s now a wildlife conversationist and rehabilitator, running an 80-hectare wildlife sanctuary near Geraldton in Western Australia’s remote Midwest region.
An early love of animals
That said, her family did soon get an inkling of Michelle’s affinity with native animals.
“Growing up I pretty much brought home every kind of animal,” she said. “My Mum was from Scotland and not keen on the reptiles, but she was very supportive of everything I was doing—as long as I kept the creatures outside.”
Soon, locals in the Perth suburbs where young Michelle lived knew she’d take in and care for injured animals. By age 14, she was raising her first orphaned joey kangaroo, “Skimpy”—cycling through the streets on her BMX bike with Skimpy snuggled up in a modified Star Wars backpack.
“Now I run a 24-hour rescue service and I’m a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, and I can look after anything from crocodiles to kangaroos. Crocodiles are actually my favourite creature.”
Rescuing crocs and spending time with the Irwins
In fact, Michelle is good friends with Australian croc royalty, the Irwin family of Australia Zoo. She first joined them on a crocodile research trip nearly a decade ago.
“I go back every August and spend two weeks catching crocodiles with Terry, Bindi and Robert, and the Australia Zoo croc team,” Michelle said. “That’s my two weeks of getting a bit of time off from here. That’s my getaway. We spend the day catching and tagging crocodiles, which is what Steve Irwin started doing back in the day, and then the night sitting around the campfire, and heading out to look for snakes and going crocodile eye spotting.”
For 15 years Michelle and her wife ran the Greenough Wildlife and Bird Park, which still has two crocodiles, which Michelle still feeds. She still does croc shows for tourists each Saturday, too.
Typical days and unusual rescues
A typical day, Michelle said, involves getting up very early to feed the orphan joeys (she was bottle feeding 13 of them in the winter of 2024) and tending to injured lizards, snakes and birds. By the time she’s having her own breakfast, it’s usually about 11.30am. Then there’s cleaning, a bit of downtime, taking animals to the vet, or heading out to rescue animals that need it, before the afternoon feeding and chores begin. Her day might finish at 1am. Sometimes, Michelle sleeps on the floor in the clinic, to keep an eye on a particularly vulnerable animal.
“I’ve rescued some amazing animals over the years,” Michelle said. “We had a penguin a few years ago that had come off the coast of Antarctica and had taken a wrong turn. I never thought in my life I’d be picking up a sub-Antarctic penguin. I also rescued a pelican from Mount Magnet (about 340 km inland).”
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Why Michelle loves Steel Blue work boots
Michelle first discovered Steel Blue boots when a relative began working for the company.
“My niece came up to visit and brought me a pair of the pink breast cancer work boots,” she said. “I wore them and I couldn’t believe it. I put my boots on in the morning and they’re on all day, until I get in at 1am. I’m jumping animals; I’m jumping crocodiles. They’re so comfortable. When I’m catching a venomous snake, I know if I’ve got him by the tail—which is nine times out of 10—that if he bites my foot I’m protected. A couple of times I’ve walked away with venom dripping down the boot and my foot has been safe.”
(Needless to say, don’t try that at home!)
“If I’m running through the bush to chase a kangaroo, I don’t feel like I’m lugging my feet. I’ve worn boots in the past that feel like you’re dragging a kilo of concrete on each leg.
“I look forward to putting these boots on every day.”
Head to your local Steel Blue stockist to discover work boots that are a mark of true skill, or shop online
