Hello and welcome to the first episode of the turtle files in 2026! I know you’ve all been avidly waiting for the thrill that is learning about the turtles of the Reptile House, so let us dive straight in! One of, if not the most peculiarly popular turtles in the reptile house is the Chinese…
Happy New Year, I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas and New Year. As we go into the New Year, many of us like to set ourselves new challenges or goals. Instead of asking my team what New Year’s resolutions they have, we thought we’d do something a little different and set some resolutions…
In this blog I will be discussing what goes into training big cats for voluntary blood draws, a procedure in which the cat is trained to allow a sample of blood to be taken, usually from the tail, whilst fully conscious. These samples are taken to check for a variety of markers that indicate the…
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 my blog is all about our amazing volunteers that we have working at the park. They are part of the keeping team here and it is important to us keepers to make them feel like they are as well. So, I’d just like to say a massive thank you to all the current/previous…
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…
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…
