Last week we finished celebrating Volunteers Week which takes place every year from 1st-7th June. Volunteers are an important part of our team here at Wingham Wildlife Park. I even think most of us started our Zookeeping careers as volunteers at some point or another. It’s amazing how many people love to donate their time to help care for our animals. So, I’d like to say a gigantic THANK YOU to all our volunteers and interns, past and present. With a range of sections to choose from there’s always room for extra pairs of hands on each of our teams. Volunteering is a fun way to get hands on and learn about working with animals, with many skills transferable to other sectors. It’s also a great way to try out Zookeeping.
Usually, most people get really excited about working with the big cats or great apes. So, sometimes the bird team gets overlooked when volunteers are thinking about which section they would like to help with. But working on Team Bird can be hugely rewarding, even if you’re not a big bird nerd like myself. Here at the Park, we train our volunteers to do what we do. So, volunteering really is a great opportunity for anyone thinking about getting into this line of work. It’s equally rewarding for anyone who would just likes to do something a bit different in their spare time.
Volunteers don’t have to stick to a strict schedule, you can volunteer one or two days a week, or just a morning or afternoon here and there where it suits your schedule. One of the best ways to gain Zookeeping experience is to join us on an internship. As I write this blog our latest intern’s three-month placement is coming to an end. Ellis has been interning here as part of his university degree in Wildlife Conservation at the University of Kent. Once he has finished his placement here, he will be off to Peru to collect data for his dissertation with a study on Squirrel Monkey feeding ecology and how it relates to habitat fragmentation in the Amazon Rainforest. I’m not jealous at all! He’s going to see so many birds!
As our volunteers and interns help with everything, I’m going to give you a little insight into some of the jobs we do day to day on Team Bird. And Ellis has kindly agreed to let me trail him at work this week and take photos of him for my blog. Our day usually starts with the keepers and volunteers splitting into three teams. One team heads off to start cleaning down and feeding our Tropical House/ Of course Gok is always on hand to make sure we’re doing a good job!
A second team is responsible for feeding and cleaning the Flamingos, Pelicans and our cheeky Parrots… definitely their favourite time of day! This is one of my favourite jobs on the section. The parrots are very clever and of course they are also really funny to hang out with. Whilst you’re working in the parrot aviaries you usually get cat called by some of our sassy characters. Jo-Jo the African Grey has me laughing most days. He is an ex-pet, he comes out with the most hilarious things. He burps, he farts and often asks me if I’m “alright darling” in a very cockney accent. The parrots really are the most mischievous animals on the bird section, but also some of the most beautiful. I love seeing people’s reactions to working with the Hyacinth Macaws for the first time.
Our final team is responsible for feeding and cleaning the birds at the top of the park, from our Kookaburras and Frogmouths to Storks and Cranes. Jimmy the chicken and his many wives will also be expecting breakfast from you at this feed as well. We also clean our Penguins out on this round. So, yes prepare to jump straight in the shower after a day’s volunteering. Top tip: if you wash your hands with toothpaste after any penguin job it’s the best thing for getting out the smell! Another of my favourite jobs every morning is to take our group of Humboldt Penguins for their daily morning walk. This is a big hit with our volunteers who are on hand to help encourage the Penguins in the right direction.
After a quick tea break it’s then time to wash up all those empty food dishes, start giving out enrichment to our birds and start preparing for the next round of lunchtime feeds. We usually split into three again to dish out the bird’s second feeds of the day. Giving the Pelicans their lunch is always great fun as Barry is such a character!
We also have two penguin talks to the public during their feed times at 1pm and 3pm every day. This is usually taken care of by our knowledgeable Keepers. However, for our interns and volunteers wishing to improve their public speaking skills it is absolutely something that we’re happy to teach you. You’ll be a Penguin expert in no time!
At lunchtime we finally get to feed ourselves and then it’s time to see whose enclosure is due a deep clean. We also start prepping our bird’s feed for the next day. It’s always handy to have a bit of help with this job as we have so many beaks to feed. By the afternoon, it’s time to feed everyone their dinner again. Plus we tidy up the enclosures and the park before we head home for the day.
So that’s our day-to-day routine, but every day is very different. We have routine health checks, weigh days, training sessions, DIY jobs, wild bird recording, toys to make for the birds, vet visits and all sorts to keep things interesting, all of which we appreciate a hand with as well.
If you’d like to volunteer for us or are thinking about starting an internship as part of your course or to further your career, please email us at info@winghamwildlifepark.co.uk or fill out the form on our website here.
For now, I’ll leave you with a little question and answer session with Ellis and myself. We’re really going to miss him here on Team Bird. I cannot thank him and all our volunteers enough for their hard work and dedication to the team. It’s always a pleasure to take people with enthusiasm for birds under our wing and show them the ropes!
Hey Ellis, first question that we often get asked, what’s your favourite animal?
The Harpy Eagle as they’re very impressive and honestly, they look like the Hippogriffs in Harry Potter!
What’s your favourite animal you’ve worked with at Wingham Wildlife Park?
Hyacinth Macaws! They’re very abundant in personality and cheeky. I’m also very impressed with their size.
Why did you choose to intern on the bird’s section?
I’ve always had an affinity with birds, but I haven’t worked with them so far so saw it as a really good opportunity to do so.
What has been the most interesting part of your internship?
There’s so much! Just seeing the diverse personalities amongst the different taxa of birds here. Each one is quite unique and special in their own different way. It’s a joy to be around them every day.
What’s been the most challenging part of your internship?
The most challenging part for me on a personal level, was the physical side of the job. That has been the biggest hurdle. You go into zookeeping thinking you’ll be cuddling the animals all day but physically it’s a bit more demanding. The benefits you reap from it are so worth it though, for most people going into zookeeping it’s their dream job.
What was the best job to do on section?
I really enjoy being involved with the Penguin Walks, but on a cold day I love to be in the tropical house where it’s nice and warm!
Did you find your internship useful?
Absolutely! In every capacity you can even think of. I think people think you can go into zookeeping and not have to talk to anyone because you’ll just be with the animals all day, but actually a lot of the job involves speaking to the customers. Working with the public was great for me. Again, and on a personal level this was a vital social skill for me.
What were you most proud of doing during your internship?
There’s so much to be proud of! Everything I did, the willingness to get up and give this much effort and dedication to the animals was the most important thing. A massive thank you to the whole bird team and for the opportunity to be here.
