Mum and I arrived promptly at Blackpool Zoo at 9am, following a smooth 45-minute drive, in preparation to be a Zookeeper for a Day.

Much to my delight, we were the first on the car park (aside from the keepers!) and we excitedly cooed over baby rabbits hopping around the vacant area.

I had previously carried out a Zookeeper experience in November, 2017. I had the most incredible time and enjoyed expanding on my knowledge surrounding a collection of animal species. So when Christmas 2018 arrived, I kindly asked Santa for the same opportunity.

Beginning the day at 9:30, we were greeted in the reception area with 2 keepers. Willeminj and Amy. Willeminj had been working as a zookeeper for years, and previously worked in Antwerp Zoo (Belgium) and the other was a trainee keeper, named Amy.

My first task of the day involved working with the Camels, who had been relocated to the ex-elephant enclosure shortly after the building of Project Elephant. We headed eagerly into the enclosure, armed with a large purple wheelbarrow and a series of tools, in preparation of spot-cleaning out the enclosure. This simply involves the removal of faeces, as opposed to the full removal of substrate.

MAMMALS

A warm-blooded vertebrate distinguished by the possession of fur, and Females that secrete milk as nourishment for the young.

I then fed the Camels, who soon appeared to the front of the outdoor paddock after hearing the shaking of the carrot filled bucket. They were highly inquisitive animals. We had to be wary of the possibility of being spat on, especially since Camels spit stomach acid, rather than just saliva.

Following my experience with the Camels, we headed over to the Giraffe and Tapir enclosures (Yay!) ready to feed them their morning snack and to issue them with lots of cuddles!

We firstly stopped at Giraffe Heights – Home to the four stunning Giraffes at the Zoo. With a wonderfully built suspended viewing area, allowing visitors to closely see the animals in both their indoor and outdoor spaces.

The Giraffes at Blackpool Zoo are all Female. They are very unique individuals, since they are hybrid (they have been interbred between species) meaning they aren’t allowed to reproduce. All the same, they were curious, friendly and (obviously) my favourite African mammal – So cute! Additionally, they evidently have a black tongue (as pictured above), as this helps to protect them from sunburn.

The Giraffes were given carrots. However, their diet also consists of browse (naturally, they feed on acacia leaves), hey and pellets. Alongside other vegetables, such as cabbage.

We then wandered to the Tapir enclosure, home to two beautiful Brazilian tapirs: G’kar and Pocahontas. This being, the third time I’ve worked with both individuals! Interestingly, Pocohontas has managed to retain spots from birth, which usually fade with age. And she is significantly more wary in comparison to G’kar, who has the personality of a playful labrador.

We fed both G’kar and Pocahontas a collection of carrots, gave them lots of cuddles and tummy rubs before proceeding to our next location.

The Aardvarks were next. I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with these fascinating mammals. They were clearly highly inquisitive and curious, aswell as being playful and mischievous.

Upon entering the enclosure, the individuals were playful and clearly aware that it was meal time. One excitedly ran out of the enclosure and was soon caught by Amy – whilst the other climbed all over me (much to my delight) as they sought mealworms and sniffed me with their extended, adorable snouts.

They were fed mealworms. I issued this with both hand feeding and scatter feeding methods, to encourage natural foraging behaviours, alongside increasing both physical and mental stimulation, and wellbeing.

The Anteaters were next. Again, both the male and female were fed mealworms. I cupped then through my hands to allow the animals to use their long, sticky tongue to reach for them. This encourages natural behaviours, and prevents boredom.

Unfortunately, we weren’t able to go into the anteaters enclosure. The reason being, because of the sharp claws, not necessarily due to aggression. The claws are extremely sharp and could easily tare through human skin.

REPTILES

Reptiles are distinguished by having dry scaly skin and because they lay soft-shelled eggs on the land.

After taking a quick break, we were ready to meet our next keeper (Angela), by the Tortoise house. Angela guided us into the enclosure, in preparation of feeding the Zoo’s oldest resident, Darwin, aged a respectable 101! Darwin’s breed have a life expectancy of 200 years. And he’s been living at the Zoo since it’s opening in the 1900’s.

We fed Darwin a handful of carrots. He was on a higher diet in comparison to the other individuals due to illness, and it was vital to ensure his health didn’t rapidly deteriorate. He confidently crunched them and then went on to having lovely neck rubs.

MARINE MAMMALS

We then walked to the Otter enclosure, which housed both a Male and Female. Otters are carnivorous and have cat-like teeth, therefore, their diet consists of mainly meat.

Both individuals were fed separately to ensure they had full access to their food. And they had to wait quietly and patiently before the food was thrown in. I chose to feed fish, which the otters soon excitedly delved in to.

BIRDS

A warm-blooded, egg laying vertebrate, distinguished by the possession of feathers, wings and a beak.

After our experience with the Tortoises, we headed over to the penguin kitchen. Angela briefed us on the penguins names and gave detailed information into how she can confidently distinguish them. Flipper tags are fitted onto the wings of the individuals, but can easily fall off or start to fade away due to the chlorine filled water.

Some of the penguins were located from other countries, so have coloured flipper tags. The penguins from Germany have red, and those from Italy have black.

We then walked to penguin beach to feed the penguins and to listen carefully to the given talk. Fish (some loaded with essential vitamins and minerals) were carefully thrown in as we had to simultaneously watch for sneaky seagulls in the process. Angela proceeded to carry out a “kan-kan like manoeuvre to kindly gesture the seagulls out of the way.

We then fed the Pelicans, wandering from penguin island, past the red pandas, to the pelican enclosure. We threw in fish as the animals elegantly caught them with their widely expanded mouths, some helped to feed the babies as they hadn’t quite mastered the art of fencing for themselves sufficiently yet.

ELEPHANTS

Of course, Elephants are mammals and one of the largest, but the Elephant section is separate from mammals in Blackpool Zoo as they are classified as a priority 1 animal.

For the Elephant section of the experience, I had the pleasure of working alongside Zookeeper, Lauren, for the second time. Lauren worked with my cousin and I during our first Zookeeper experience in 2017, and she works primarily with the Elephants and big cats.

We headed to Project Elephant – An incredible project development at Blackpool Zoo, which provides the 5 resident elephants with a new state of the art enclosure, consisting of a large indoor and outdoor area. Project Elephant better suits the animals needs, and helps to encourage natural behaviours whilst working to prevent stress and discomfort.

Kate (The oldest in the herd), has temporarily been separated from the other elephants. This is due to her and Tara initially struggling to get along. So, the individuals have been kept within close proximity of each other to (hopefully) encourage them to become friends. Kate is due to return back with the others shortly.

Lauren kindly showed us around the enclosure, which included viewing behind the scenes and gaining a glimpse into the hefty moving crate, which was used to relocate the 4 newest herd members.

The indoor enclosure has a vast collection of fixtures and fittings – including: Suspended hay nets, which randomly drop at different times throughout the day, feeding boxes, 6-feet of sand, tree trunks for scratching (which can easily be moved around with the assistance of a small vehicle).

After touring base camp, we headed back outside ready to feed the Elephants. Blackpool Zoo offer their elephants a variety of food and important supplements to maintain a healthy and balanced diet. To which also includes daily heath checks, weigh-ins and behavioural observations.

Health checks are important in all animal species. Especially in Elephants, as every individual carries a strain of the EEHV virus, which can be fatal if left undetected/untreated for increased periods. The keepers are currently monitoring one of the youngest elephants daily, and to allow them to habituate to treatment methods if they should ever be required.

Further information on the lethal EEHV virus can be sought here:

PRIMATES

Flexible hands and feet with opposable first digits good eyesight and a highly developed brain.

My final animal encounter of the day involved working closely with some of the Zoo’s resident primates – Ring-tailed lemurs and spider monkeys.

We met keeper, Joe, by the lemur enclosure before venturing in armed with a bucket filled with a variety of different fruits and veggies.

Soon, we were armed with lemurs and feeling highly content as we observed them munching elegantly on grapes, apples and more.

We then headed to the spider monkeys, again, armed with a large box of fruits and vegetables. Including: cabbage, peppers, cucumber and apple. The monkeys were housed with capybaras and ducks, who were also simultaneously fed too!

With that being the end of yet another incredible, and highly memorable Zookeeper experience.

I would like to take the time to wholeheartedly thank the keepers and animals at Blackpool Zoo for making the day so special, and for inspiring me greatly with such amazing animal care and conservation efforts.

On the 19th November, 2017, I was lucky enough to have the wonderful experience of being a Zookeeper for the day at Blackpool Zoo alongside my beautiful cousin, Savannah. I would firstly like to point out that the experience was the most enjoyable, informative and well organised experience I have endured. And one I’d, wholeheartedly, recommend to everybody! Additionally, I would like to take the opportunity to thank Blackpool Zoo and their incredible Zookeepers for making the day one I’ll never forget. And, of course, the animals for making my day unforgettable and a day I’ll forever treasure close to my heart.

I received this opportunity as a Christmas present in 2016 and had eagerly waited all year for the day to arrive. I had wanted to do this for a very long time, but the waiting lists had always been lengthy, so you can imagine how excited I would’ve been. I was counting down the months, the weeks, the days and then I was soon to be counting down the hours and then the minutes.

The day approached. I had my alarm set for 6am – hours before we were expected to arrive to the Zoo – and I quickly got dressed into my zoo gear. Work boots, waterproof pants, a water proof coat and lots of warm thermals to wear underneath. I could barely sit still. We drove the 45 minute journey to the Zoo (Me, my mum, my auntie and my cousin) and sat excitedly waiting for the time to come around.

We then headed into the Zoo’s reception area where we were greeted by a lovely receptionist who handed us high visibility jackets to wear, stating ‘Zookeeper for a day’ on the back. Admittedly, I felt very special whilst wearing the jacket and I couldn’t wait to get started with, what was set to be, the best day of my life. We sat in the reception area for a short duration of time, awaiting our next step on our big day!

Lauren the Zookeeper turned up and politely introduced herself and we were taken along to the old Elephant enclosure. Blackpool Zoo have recently developed a new project, named ‘Project Elephant’ which is the new enclosure for Kate and her new Elephant friends. So before heading over to that, we were taken to her previous enclosure to be given some (very interesting) information about the Zoo’s history, which included the history of the Elephant enclosure. And Kate! It’s safe to say, Kate has been through one heck of a journey and she certainly is a credit to Lauren and the rest of the Zookeepers. It’s very heartwarming to hear how Zoos have improved in today’s modern day society, where we have a better understanding and knowledge of Zoos and the requirements of different animal species. This became evidently clear to us when we were taken around Kate’s new house! (Project Elephant)

The new house was INCREDIBLE! And it appeared to be much better suited to cater for Kate and her needs. I was lucky enough to have a VIP tour of it. It’s much larger and more natural looking. There are a range of fixtures and fittings suited to Elephant life. Including tree trunks that can get moved around the enclosure, to represent an Elephant’s natural environment and to act as enrichment. There is now a swimming pool in the outdoor area for Kate to enter, as and when wanted, and there were hay nets suspended into the air that were put onto a timer. Ready to be suspended down to the Elephants during random times throughout the day and night. Again, this highlights the improvements in enrichment and knowledge from Zoo staff.

Project Elephant ‘Base Camp’ is now open to the public at Blackpool Zoo, with an incredible enclosure and 3 gorgeous Elephants to visit.

It’s a vital requirement of Zoos to provide enrichment for the animals, in order to prevent them from boredom and stress. It’s also part of The Five Freedoms. (Animal Welfare Act, 2006). Also, enrichment serves a purpose of keeping the animals physically and mentally stimulated. A requirement in which Blackpool Zoo carry out exceedingly well.

Freedom from discomfort
Freedom from fear and distress
Freedom from hunger and thirst
Freedom to exhibit natural behaviours
Freedom from pain, injury and disease

We then had the chance to feed a variety of different, gorgeous, animals. Some of which included: The Giraffes, Penguins, Anteaters, Pelicans, Lemurs and Tortoises. We also had the chance to meet the Tapirs (Who I immediately fell in love with) and the Aardvarks.

After we had our VIP tour of Kate’s new enclosure, we were then greeted by another Zookeeper who took us to carry out some more of our daily tasks. We headed to the Tortoise enclosure and were, happily, faced with Giant Tortoises. Including Darwin – The Zoo’s oldest resident. We were given a selection of Vegetables to feed to Tortoises, it was very fun watching them chomp away. Though, we had to be very careful to mind we didn’t get stood on. The Tortoises were friendly, but giant. Friendly giants. Plus, we didn’t want any broken feet…

Feeding the Penguins involved filling their fish with essential vitamins and mineral tablets. We had to hold open the Fish’s fin and then place the two tablets inside. We then headed out to the Penguin pool and went on to feed the Fish, which the Penguins were clearly very excited for as they gathered around the front of the pool. We then listened to the Penguin talk which was informative and presented very well. A task I found, near, impossible was being unable to stroke one of the Penguins (due to the zoo choosing to NOT having him having any human contact). The zookeeper explained how this particular Penguin was the only one to have not been touched by Humans, even the keepers, as they wanted him to be a more ‘natural’ Penguin. Which is fantastic (not very easily done though, he was adorable!)

I’m very eager to talk about the highlight of my day (though, it was all fantastic) I absolutely adored meeting the Tapirs. I’ve always had an interest in them, but I can happily say that my love for them has increased. Spending time with the Tapirs was incredible and it has, in fact, inspired me to work with them in my future animal care career. There are two Tapirs at Blackpool Zoo, one was more friendly and the other was quite timid and wary. I got to spend lots of time tickling and cuddling the Tapir (we even had some kisses) and he was slowly closing his eyes as we continued to tickle him in his favourite spot. This experience allowed me to engage with Tapirs for the first time, and also enabled me to see what magnificent mammals they are.

Another highlight of my day…(Okay, they’re all highlights) was feeding the Giraffes. Giraffes are my favourite animal, including Goats of course, so having the opportunity to get so close to them (for the second time) was definitely an experience to remember. Not many people can say they’ve been face to face with the World’s tallest Mammal! We fed the Giraffes with Acacia leaves, which are similar to their natural diet, and they highly enjoyed them. I loved seeing their large tongues sticking out ready to grab the leaves. I also loved how friendly and gentle they were, considering their size. Giraffes have charming personalities and never fail to amaze me with how majestic they are.

Now, lets talk about the Lemurs. My goodness, what a life-changing opportunity! I wanted to take my Lemur friend home, he wouldn’t leave my shoulder and I felt very accepted within the ‘Lemur community’ I had just headed into. We headed into the Lemur enclosure after being welcomed by the Zookeeper and were given some information about them. Stepping into the enclosure was an experience in itself, I suddenly felt a little weight on my shoulder and was faced to see a gorgeous Lemur waiting for his grapes right beside my head. It was epic! We were handed grapes and the Lemurs were quick, and eager, to approach us for their snack. It was adorable seeing them taking hold of the grapes and taking bites out of them *insert Lemur chewing noise here*

The Lemurs concluded the day, and what a day it was! We then headed back to the Reception area to hand in our jackets and to receive a goody bag, containing a range of small gifts and our very own completion certificate.

This was an experience I’ll never forget, certainly something I aim to take part in again. It has provided me with a real glimpse into Zoo life and what is typically involved in a Zookeepers’ day – essential as I strive for a career within the animal care industry.

Lots of love,

Laur xx