Meet Team Carnivores

Sasha has been with us for 9 months as a Carnivore Apprentice. This involves working as a member of team carnivores alongside studies to gain a qualification and valuable work experience.

“I just really like otters! So I thought I’d become a keeper so I can work closely with them.

I found the apprentice program at WWP and was given the position so I’m relatively new to the industry but loving it.

My favourite animal to work with here is Hallie our smooth coated otter because she’s so cute and funny, I just love everything about her.

I like the variety of animals I get to work with, its not just the big cats, but the bears and smaller animal species that all interest me.”

Rebecca has been with the park for over 3 years and is our Deputy Head of Carnivores.

“I did work experience here at WWP and then enrolled in the apprenticeship program and was hired after completing the course. I also did animal management at college prior to my work experience.

I wanted to improve the lives on animals in captivity and wanted to form very close bonds with them.

I most enjoy working with the servals and the binturong, I think Papa is very funny, he’s very expressive, and I like the servals because I enjoy how they react to enrichment.

I like spending my time with animals and how there’s always something new and everyday is different.”

“I wanted to become a keeper earlier in life but ended up in another line of work, I got to a point where I decided it was now or never to make a change a do what I love. So I entered the industry a bit later in life and so glad that I did as it’s extremely rewarding.

I got into the industry starting off a volunteer and was then offered a seasonal job until being offered a position on carnivore section.

Tora the tigress is one of  my favourites to work with because of the affection she shows and coming straight over to you chuffing.

I enjoy thinking of new enrichment and our head of section is very open to new ideas for enrichment and letting me be creative with it. I like my team and doing big jobs together and I also enjoy the independence in my role.”

“It’s always what I wanted to do since I was tiny and it hasn’t changed since because it looked like the best job in the world.

Since it’s what I wanted to do since I was tiny, I tailored my life towards it, doing sciences in school, going to college and doing animal care and then to university to do my degree. Through my degree I got to go abroad and work in Ecuador, Poland and South Africa before getting my first keeper position.

The bears are my favourites to work with here, they are dead entertaining to watch, always up to trouble and quite interactive with things we give them, when they can be bothered to get out of bed!

It’s always good how it’s never the same day, you never do the same things twice, its never a job that gets boring to do. Even in the cold, wet and wind.”

“Working with animals has always felt right, and I love that I’m contributing to conservation.

I got into the industry by going back to university and getting a volunteer placement through my course.

I love the tigers, they are one of  my favourite big cats but the short-clawed otters have to be up there as well, they are the smallest on section but have big personalities!

I like working with different types of animals and helping to provide as much of an enriching life as possible.”

I always had an affinity to animals when I was small, always making friends with random animals wherever my parents took me. I knew I wanted a career with animals after I spent time in South Africa volunteering with black rhino.

I got into the industry through volunteering during my time at university and was offered a position once I finished uni. I have been lucky enough to work with all kinds of taxa and through my role at WWP I have been able to train some amazing behaviours in a variety of species.

It is hard to pick a favourite animal but I am very fond of the tigers, all three of them are always happy to see you and a lot of fun to work with.

My favourite part of my job is the training, I enjoy shaping behaviours, overcoming training obstacles  and working closely with animals to take part in medical procedures, it’s very rewarding to see them progress.