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. We want to highlight the efforts of zoos worldwide…
When I was younger, I was quite into Jurassic Park and dinosaurs! Maybe that is where some of my bird enthusiasm comes from, as after all, we now know that birds are descended from dinosaurs! No other group of birds here at the park remind me of this more than our group of rheas! This…
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!…
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…
