If you remember from a previous blog of mine that majority of the primate keepers’ least favourite job is cleaning the Mandrills. Since then, we have a new keeper, Holly, who has fallen hard for the cuteness of the mandrill troop. So, she has asked me to write a blog about them and here we…
Our meerkat mob recently went from 6 to 10. Last year we welcomed 3 pups into the group however this year we went one better with 4 being born. The group includes Ken (Alpha male), Kiara (Alpha female), Pinkie, Axe, Bo, Koshka and then the 4 pups. However, we don’t know the genders at the…
As we prepare to celebrate the upcoming World Lizard Day, I hope everyone is enjoying their summer holidays. Whether you are off school and enjoying the break, going on holiday, or just enjoying the warm weather that we’ve been having. This blog is going to give you a brief update on the lizards that have…
As many of you know by now, I think birds are just the coolest. But how have they been coping during this year’s heat wave? If we’re hot then birds are hot too, and my word it has been stifling over the last few weeks! Our dedicated Keepers have been keeping cool at work with…
Summer is officially here and you’re not the only ones who have been enjoying the sunshine. I am sure many of you may have noticed that the scenery has gotten a lot more colourful lately. Butterflies are cold blooded invertebrates and thrive in the sunshine. Many species can be seen right here in Kent. Recently…
I’ve got another Guess Who for you this week (find my previous Guess Who here). This time all the animals are found here at Wingham to give it a zookeeper week theme. All the answers can be found at the bottom for you. 1:• I come in lots of colours• I love to make a…
This blog is going to focus on training for blood draws. This is being undergone on several species at the park and hopeful many more in the future. Why do we need to take blood? Blood samples can give an insight into the health of the animal. They can be taken from a healthy animal…
A vital skill in looking after animals is being able to identity when they may be sick or injured and knowing how to treat this. One of the easiest ways to tell an unwell animal is knowing its behaviour. Animals are incredibly good at hiding pain. So, by knowing what’s “normal” for your animal and…
This week I’ve found it difficult to decide what to write this blog about. Not because I was stumped on ideas but because I actually had several ideas up my sleeve! However, I think there’s one topic you’d like to be updated on since his arrival at the park. It just means my other topics…
You may be wondering what we feed our leaf eating (browse) animals during our winter months when there are much fewer leaves available for them to eat. Well, the answer is browse silage, but what is it? First there are a few questions to ask, beginning with; What is a browse feeder? Within the animal…
