Xavier Morello grew up in the suburbs of Melbourne East with his first pet Reivex, the blue tongue lizard. Every winter he would free Reivex into the wild and catch him again in the summer time. This is where his love for wildlife and nature formed.

 

During school, he quickly realised the classroom was not for him and wanted to spend all is time outdoors engaging with nature and it's beautiful animals. Soon enough he picked up the camera and began capturing what he loved through photographs and video. His passion for photography and art set in motion. Nature and it's animals were his muse.

If Xavier was an academic he would have studied ecology or biology, but as nothing could keep him inside, he knew this wasn't the right career path for him. He completed a degree in visual arts, and once finished found a job in eco tourism. At the age of 21, Xavier made the move to the coast of Pt Lonsdale and picked up multiple seasonal jobs with a dolphin boat, dive guide, snorkel guide and outdoor ed teacher. During the winter months he worked as a tradesman either concreting or gardening. He was lucky enough to usually have multiple jobs on the go at once. 

As much as Xavier loved living on the coast, his Mother finally enticed him back to Melbourne by finding a full time job for him as a wildlife demonstrator. But moving back to the city didn't mean it was an end of nature and water sports as Xavier continued to spend his time kayaking in the Yara river, fishing and adventuring in the outdoors. After 10 years working with this company, Xavier decided it was time to go out on his own, and Wildlife Exposure was born. 

His home in Warrandyte was quickly becoming too small to home his animals, so Xavier and his wife Madeleine made a five year plan to relocate their family of two kids and many animals down the the Surf Coast of Victoria. Five years turned into one year when the first house they visited happened to be the perfect two acre block with a cute house and beautiful bushland property. Xavier and Madeline packed up the ark with kids and animals and travelled down the highway to begin their new adventure.

Wildlife Exposure has been based on the Surf Coast for four years and travels all around Victoria making wildlife demonstrations with various native animals in kindergartens, schools, nursing homes and children's parties. Xavier's mission is to raise conservation awareness by providing programs that are designed to make ecological science and wildlife awareness exciting, fun and engaging. Allowing children and others the opportunity to get up close and personal with unique wildlife and have an interactive experience they won’t forget.

The future of our environment and its unique and diverse wildlife lies in the hands of the younger generations. Xavier hopes that by educating children on the wonders of nature will motivate them to protect and conserve the planet’s natural wonders in years to come. He believe it’s vital to promote a deeper understanding and empathy for wildlife if we wish to protect and conserve its diversity.