Zookeepers work with some magnificent animals, including lions, tigers, baboons, and rhinos. A keeper’s responsibility is to make sure these animals are well looked after.
A typical day at the zoo starts with a team meeting which gives everyone a chance to share any updates and to discuss the day’s goals. Keepers also collect their radios and any other gear they’ll be needing throughout the day. After that, they will proceed to go and check on their animals – this is where the fun starts!
Zookeepers have the very important job of preparing food for a wide range of species – this also includes dispensing any required medications. Making sure all of the animal’s habitats are safe and clean is a daily job that is to be taken very seriously; making any repairs or improvements to habitats, mucking out and ensuring there is plenty of clean water.
Playing with the animals is likely to be the most fun part of being a zookeeper – it’s hard to forget that they aren’t pets! Animals can become bored just like anyone else, so it’s important that they are nurtured and trained. Not only is training fun for both the keeper and the animal, but it also creates a bond which can help build trust between the animal and their keeper, making it easier to perform important tasks such as health checks.
Between feeding, bathing, and exercising the animals, keepers also answer visitors’ questions throughout the day, around the park. Sometimes they give talks, lectures and scheduled animal presentations, like the ones at Knowsley Safari Park – a trip to the zoo really is an educational day out. A keeper wants to ensure that visitors understand the animals’ behaviour, letting them know how they can help not only the animals at the zoo but species all over the world.
The best thing about being a keeper is knowing that you are making a difference to the lives of the animals. Enrichment comes from a range of activities that stimulate an animal’s body and mind. This could be anything from introducing natural predator or prey scents, to hiding food throughout the enclosure. Keepers are on hand to improve the animal’s quality of life.
Although they are very busy with the animals, keepers still need to take time out to do some research, this could be observing the different species behaviours or even catching up on the latest conservation efforts – it is always important to know what is happening in the natural world.
At the end of the day, all the keepers will feed the animals their final meal and finish off any remaining cleaning. Some security measures also need to be done, such as making sure all the doors are locked and secured, ensuring the cleaning supplies are restocked and tools are put away. Animals need care every day, just like the ones you may have at home, which is why zookeepers come back every day to all of this again!
Image courtesy of knowsleysafariexperience.co.uk
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