Zoo keeper experience!

Last November, for my 16th Birthday present my Parents bought me a keeper for the day experience at Whipsnade zoo. So on the 17th June, after my last GCSE exam me and my mum drove down to whipsnade to stay the night in a premier inn before the day began.

Our experience began at 8:45 where we were given 'keeper for a day' T shirts. Then we tucked into out bacon baps and tea while we were told what we were doing for the day! First of all we cleaned out the rhinos. This involved us picking up the poo with forks and then hosing it all down. Then we had to sweep all the bark from their enclosure off the concrete. After this we got to feed them Carrots and apples. This was amazing as I am used to seeing rhinos as dangerous and they are so gentle when you are feeding them!

We then went on to feed the giraffes branches which they stripped with their tongues and we met the baby giraffe who was so cute!

We moved on to cleaning out the elephants enclosure. In the enclosure they had barrels, wood, balls and loads of things for treats to be put in.

 Then before lunch we fed the otters some frozen dead rat.. which was quite disgusting but the otters were so cute!

After lunch we met some sloth bears while chopping up fruit and mixing feeds in the building next door to them.

We made food for the Hippos- lettuce, red river hogs- apple and dog biscuits and another breed of hog- carrots and apples. We then fed the hippos their lettuce in their water area, they were so slow but so sweet!

There was also a baby hippo in the indoor enclosure with her mother, she was SO cute and tiny!

 Then the river hogs and the other breed of hogs were fed. We then went to the wolves and fed them some horse! it was quite disgusting but the wolves seemed to enjoy it!

Then after that we went to do the thing I was most excited for, Feeding the elephants! Elephants are my favourite animal and it was so incredible to be stood right next to one feeding them! After we spoke to the keeper and watched them graze. The elephants are walked around the 600 acre zoo every day so that they aren't stuck in an enclosure. They are walked to a field/forest like area where they are let loose for a couple of hours to graze and show their natural behaviour.

After that we went to the lemurs and cleaned them out and afterwards fed them.

It was a truly amazing and unforgettable day that will stay with me forever. If you ever get the chance to do something like this, I totally recommend it, well worth the money!

Sophie xxx

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