When it comes to wild cats, most would think of the iconic big cats: lions, tigers, jaguars, leopards and snow leopards, but in the shadow of these majestic giants are their smaller cousins that are equally fascinating but rarely get the recognition they deserve. Welcome to the world of small cats. There are over 30…
Ever wondered what it is like to be a part of the reptile and invertebrate team here at Wingham? Keep reading to see what the team get up to during their day to ensure that everything runs smoothly. Our day usually starts with three keepers. In the morning, one person is responsible for everyone that…
From July 20th to July 26th, we celebrated the incredible work, resilience, and passion of keepers everywhere for National Zookeeper Week! So, what better way to show our appreciation for zookeepers than by highlighting the achievements and hard work of our keepers here at Wingham Wildlife Park and showing you a behind the scenes glimpse…
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!…
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….
