I imagine most people think of Christmas Day as being filled with sleeping in, opening presents and settling down to a big family meal. As head of section on the bird team, when I picture Christmas, it’s probably not the traditional activities that fill my mind first, but of the animals in our care here at…
Since I was little, I always dreamed of working with the giraffe. Just like most zookeepers, I was lucky enough to interact with these magnificent animals during experiences at zoos and watch them run across the savannah out in Africa. It’s hard not to fall in love with them. There’s something so awe-inspiring about being…
This week we’ve been celebrating Animal Enrichment Day! Caring for animals goes far beyond simply feeding, cleaning and housing them. Here at Wingham Wildlife Park, we’re big on enrichment and make sure our enclosures are as stimulating as we can. If you’ve not heard of enrichment before, this is a broad term for ways in…
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…
What it takes to look after and enrich our moon bears. In this blog I’m going to talk about looking after our two moon bears, or Asiatic black bears, Aroon and Mika, and delve into what goes on in a day for the bears and how we keep them happy. What is Enrichment? Enrichment is…
Senior Primate Keeper, Holly For this blog I thought I would give you an insight into one of my favourite aspects of my job… DIY projects. As much as there is a part of me that loves picking up poo (you kind of have to, to be a zookeeper); training, enriching and building different things…
Okay, I know what you’re thinking, card tubes? The piece of rubbish that’s supposed to be thrown away after the wrapping paper or kitchen roll is used up? Really? Card tubes are actually a really useful item here at the Zoo. We can make a variety of enrichment toys with them, for free! So, firstly,…
World Animal Day 2022 4th October is World Animal Day. A day designated to all animals, which strives to improve welfare for all animals all around the world. As a keeper at Wingham our animal’s health and welfare is always our top priority and there are a few aspects to consider. For my blog this…
What works for carnivores For many of our animals, their sense of smell is very important in their wild state. Many use urine to mark their territory and let others of their species know they are ready to breed. Prey will unwillingly leave a scent trail as they move and blood will lead our predators…
This blog will be focusing on our beautiful boy Loki, our handsome male jaguar. Jaguars are the third largest big cat in the world, after tigers and lions. These incredibly powerful animals were worshipped as gods. They are also a symbol of intelligence, beauty and strength, and we can see why! These stunning animals are…
