Zoo Keeper For A Day
Zoo Keeper for a day experience (16 years of age +) £170.00 or £310 for 2 clients. This experience is about 6 hours in duaration (10.00 to 4.00 ) with a break for dinner!
Through our Zoo Keeper for a Day scheme we can offer you a unique opportunity to experience a day in the life of a zoo keeper, but be warned, you will be expected to join in the cleaning!
Our "Zoo Keeper for a Day" experience is available to anyone over 16 years of age (Children between the ages of 8-15 inclusive can do the junior keeper for 1/2 a day). The session begins at 10.00am once the zoo opens and finishes at 4.00pm, giving you the remainder of the day to enjoy the zoo.
Ever wondered what it is like to meet any of the unusual animals in the zoo close up and personal? Why not find out and book into a keeper for a day experience here at our zoo or book a friend or relative in as a special treat!
An excellent surprise, an unusual present or just as a treat for yourself, the cost to be a keeper for the day is only £170 for the full day! This includes admission to the zoo for the keeper for a day, free admission to the zoo for one guest (who will then be able to accompany the keeper for a day around the zoo), a meal for two, drinks, certificate of participation and a zoo gift
ZOO KEEPER FOR DAY SCHEDULE:
The Typical MORNING:
Be met and introduced to your keeper and guide at reception. Usually by the curator who will explain the planned activities for you and cover the Health & Safety issues.
Then you prepare for the cleaning and feeding routines behind the scenes in the zoo kitchen area with your keeper as you get to know them and ask any questions about what the day has in store for you!
Next the best part you get to meet the animals in your routines which early on includes the meerkats, agouti (amongst many others. So this is what you may do:
The meerkat colony will need raking and cleaning inside and out and you get a chance to feed their special food treats while in the enclosure with them. Agouti you then have to find and clean and feed!
Tapir scratching is great fun, the animals adore the attention and will come and seek you out when you enter their enclosure. We always let them out into their afternoon grazing paddock at this time so they really look forward to this!
Feeding our ring tailed lemurs is one of the morning highlights while the talk is taking place with the zoo visitors. Usually the lemurs will use you as a jumping platform and often they will take food out of their feed tray while you are holding this as they sit on or next to you. We always try to take in small leafy twigs for them to eat the leaves from so you can be as close and safe as possible.
The onto meeting our alpaca. Very steady and stately these guys will often feed from their mid-day feed bowls as you present them with lunch! Depending on their frame of mind they also often enjoy a stroke, tickle and scratch!
Finally, in the morning you get introduced to the Zoo's educational contact animals if there is enough time as you have to get dinner in before 1.25pm in time to go down with one of the keepers for the cheetah feed and talk.
Lunch 1.00 - 1.25pm
Typically, in the AFTERNOON:
Always, you get a chance to feed our cheetah at the visitor feed and talk where you can learn a little more about our cheetahs - "Lakini & Milele"!
Then the afternoon includes some enrichment activities with a selection of the zoo's animals. Often your keeper can tailor the enrichment to those animals you particularly liked or still want to safely meet. The meerkats in particular love this as they get extra insects during their enrichment and often these can be hidden in other food, toys or under stones and logs so they have to find them!
Manicuring, feeding and cleaning the tortoises is fun – it is not every day you get to scrub a tortoise shell and meet individuals one of which is nearly 50 years old! They always enjoy this and it definitely helps clear their shell pores!
You then get a chance to help feed the waterfowl and the pelicans on the lake. This is a feed and talk which the public turn up to and it is amazing to watch the pelicans gulp down their dinner as the fish can be clearly seen inside their pouch!
Possibly the highlight for the afternoon is meeting our dingoes they both absolutely adore having you visit especially if you smell good and bring food! If you are lucky you may get a dingo welcome reception (their own vocal reception)!
Finally if time permits a tour of any zoo babies and any special animals of interest from the day's activities which is largely down to your choice and interest so long as it is safe to do this with you!
End of day presentations is the finish in the zoo café at about 4.00pm and a chance if you want to then go back around the zoo or leave for home (hopefully tired and full of happy experiences)!
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