Some of you may know of our Southern three-banded armadillo, who lives in one of the bushbaby enclosures inside the Nocturnal House. But most visitors don’t even realise he’s there, Jose tends to snuffle under the radar. This blog is dedicated to celebrating Jose, who turned 11 years old on Wednesday. So here’s to our…
This week I thought I’d talk about becoming a zookeeper and the different ways to get into the industry. Working with animals is something that a lot of people strive to achieve and being a zookeeper is something that a lot of people dream of being. Usually, the first question that I get asked is…
Big cats. Sleek, powerful, mysterious, captivating, all good words to describe members of this widespread family of animals. These amazing creatures are thought about the world over as the pinnacle of predators and with all big cats being apex predators (the top of the food chain) this line of thought would be proven correct. All…
After spending many hours working in the Invertebrate House over the last four years, one of the most frequent comments I hear is that the aquatic crayfish tanks are empty and people telling their children not to bother looking in them. Well, I am here to tell you that our crayfish hatchery is rarely empty!…
This week, I wanted to show you how we zookeepers get creative by turning everyday, unwanted household items into exciting enrichment for our animals. You might be surprised to learn that what you see as rubbish is absolute gold dust to us! From old water bottles to cardboard boxes, these simple items can make a…
Training is one of the most important and rewarding parts of being a zookeeper. Seeing an individual overcome struggles, and the feeling of pure joy when it all finally clicks is something I hold close in my heart. All of our great apes are trained to present a combination of body parts. This could be…
This week we celebrated International Ungulate Awareness Day. Ungulates account for the vast majority of large herbivores currently on earth. Their influence stretches across nearly every biome. With the help from humans, ungulates have expanded into nearly every corner of the globe. With over 215 different ungulates species in the world, each one of these…
For World Parrot Day this year I would love to talk about our charismatic group of Galah Cockatoos (Eolophus rosicapilla). With their striking pink and grey plumage and playful antics, the galah is one of Australia’s most iconic and widespread parrots, and one of my favourite species to work with here at Wingham Wildlife Park….
28th May is World Otter Day! We are lucky to be home to 2 species of otter, the smooth-coated otter and the Asian short-clawed otter. Smooth-coated Otters These otters come from south and south-east Asia, living alongside rivers, rice paddies, swamps and lakes. These semi-aquatic mammals are as comfortable in water as they are on…
May 16th is Endangered Species Day! A day all about bringing awareness to species that are struggling in the wild and to celebrate conservation efforts which aim to protect them. This day was created by the Endangered Species Coalition in 2006 to help with their mission to stop human-caused extinction to species and to help…
