For my blog this week, I will be talking about all things red panda. “Why?” you ask. Because on the 20th September we will be celebrating International Red Panda Day. This day falls on the third Saturday in September every year. Also, who doesn’t love a red panda? I’m sure you’ll all agree that they’re…
Zoo Awareness Day takes place on the 31st of August each year. Why? It stems from the growing recognition of the crucial work that modern zoos do beyond just housing animals. Zoos have evolved significantly over the past decades, transforming into centres for conservation and education. Today on Zoo Awareness Day We want to highlight…
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 the Armadillo tends to snuffle under the radar. This blog is dedicated to celebrating Jose, who turned 11 years old on Wednesday. So here’s…
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 at Wingham Wildlife Park get creative by turning everyday, unwanted household items into exciting enrichment items 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…
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 Otters 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…
