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…
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…
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…
We’re home to two little families of glorious Goeldi’s monkeys, and I’d love to introduce you to them! Family One Housed upstairs in the Chimp House (next to the sloth enclosure). Maggie is the matriarch of the group and the oldest at 23 years old. In the wild, Goeldi monkeys have a life expectancy of…
What a week to do my blog, there has been so much to celebrate over the course of this week! Monday 21st April kicked off the week with National Tea Day! Tea is the world’s second most popular drink (after water) I am a huge tea drinker and my go to brand would be Yorkshire…
Earlier this week we celebrated International Bat Appreciation Day! Celebrated on April 17th each year, it is the perfect opportunity for me to talk about bats! Now as head of the bird section here at Wingham Wildlife Park, I know that this is a bit different from the usual subject of my blogs. But I…
