My initial introduction to the zoo keeping world involved precision and studied concentration in the invertebrate house. It was a stifling hot environment to be spending the autumn and early winter. A few morning checks resulted in hurried searches for missing spiders or scorpions before the zoo opened to the public.
One public encounter with one of our beautiful bird-eating spiders (they are NOT to be called tarantulas I was taught) led to the spider being flung on the floor. The abdomen of a large spider is incredibly vulnerable and will split on impact. This particular one had been donated to the zoo by the Royal Mail after she had been posted to someone as some form of threat. She was very calm and safe to handle and I was horrified to see her cast aside onto the concrete floor. Thankfully we had the fully staffed veterinary hospital on site.
No time or expense was spared up there and every effort would always be made to save the lives of our charges; big or small.
I couldn't quite believe that it would be possible to use microsurgery to repair the 1cm tear in the spider's abdomen. The vets were determined to give it a try, and I was centre stage holding her gently on the operating table as they went about their work. I used the handling skills I had been taught by my colleagues to hold her upside down and as still as possible while her abdomen was stitched back together with tiny precision stitches. The vets explained to me that the spider would hopefully recover from this trauma and be fully repaired once she shed this damaged skin in a few months time. The whole experience that day was amazing. I felt accepted and trusted as a member of staff, rather than an enthusiastic observer. The spider did indeed recover and shed her damaged skin safely and was named Joanna after yours truly.
I felt very honoured to play a full part in the team of 5 working in the tiniest section in the park. Cleaning the windows outside would often lead to a morning encounter with the elephant keepers as they took their young charges out for their morning walk. I clearly remember the rush of excitement as the jingling sound of the keepers' keys preceded the arrival of Gita, the young female, striding along with her entourage. I learned to contain my excitement and stay calm. Zoo keepers are approached day in day out by overly excited visitors so the last thing these guys needed was for a new keeper to start behaving likewise.
Over the days I developed a rapport with the elephant keepers. Trust is such an important element of working in this field. Their role at that moment was to exercise and stimulate their young charge with a walk while the zoo was quiet. They needed to trust each other to get through each day safely, and they knew that I would always keep a respectful distance unless invited to come over for a closer look and a chat. I was becoming so immersed in this world that I was determined to stay sensible and learn as much as I could from the people around me.
My rotation with the invertebrates was coming to an end and I was about to emerge from the warmth into the rather more chilly surroundings of the diving birds section in January ....
Saturday, 22 November 2014
Sunday, 17 March 2013
Welly wearing for beginners
'So, tell us about yourself' ...........
That difficult question that anyone can ask of you, especially if you are 17 and sat in the most important interview of your life so far. I was sat in the hallowed offices of the Zoological Society of London feeling a combination of excitement and curiosity. Thankfully for me nerves did not form part of my repertoire at that stage in my life.
I spoke about myself, unsure what constituted an appropriate answer, and mentioned the array of animals that had shared my life up to that point. I tried to appear as calm as I could, spoke clearly, and listened as they explained exactly what I was being interviewed for. I felt completely at home in that office and just wanted the two people opposite me to understand how important this moment in time was to me. Thankfully my answers seemed to gain me entry into this secretive world and I was on my way through the door and into the zoo itself.
One piece of advice I would give to anybody finding themselves in a similar situation is to give the impression of being unflappable, even if you are quaking inside. Don't ramble on about your 'love' for every pet you have ever had, and do not list every species of animal with which you hope to work. This may sound harsh, but the powers that be are always very wary of overattachment and inflexibility. Respect for animals and an open approach to where you may end up working is essential. You may have always dreamed of working with elephants but you may well have to start out grooming rabbits in the Children's Zoo to get there.
My first day as a baby zoo keeper arrived and I found myself in the zoo stores being kitted out with my uniform and my wellies. I was then taken to meet the overseers who did their best to intimidate me into submission and wipe the cheeky grin off my face by issuing me with my first work placement. I must admit that the cheeky grin did freeze for a second as I realised that I would be working for my first rotation in the insect house !
The staff in my new working location were all really friendly and I quickly realised never to allow a brief moment of panic to stop myself from taking on board the positives in any given situation. Being faced with rows of plastic tubes, each containing a tiny baby spider waiting to be fed, took me way out of any comfort zone or expectation about what my job would involve. I was handed a deeper pot containing tiny hatchling crickets and instructed to carefully tip one cricket in with each baby spider.
This breakfast ritual for my tiny charges became a source of immense fascination as they quickly shed their skins and grew. Baby praying mantids were lined up for similar care alongside the spiderlings and much of my day was spent in quiet concentration tending to their needs.
I learned the latin names for the species in our care and gained the nickname 'Cricket' as I frequently ended up with stray hatchling crickets in my hair after feeding time.
I will forever be indebted to the staff from the insect house for the way that they taught me patience and attention to the tiniest detail. I learned to appreciate things as they are, without preconcieved ideas as to what I think I like and don't like. This introduction to the world of zoo keeping showed me the diversity of the world I was entering, and the range of skills I would need to develop to make my way through.
That difficult question that anyone can ask of you, especially if you are 17 and sat in the most important interview of your life so far. I was sat in the hallowed offices of the Zoological Society of London feeling a combination of excitement and curiosity. Thankfully for me nerves did not form part of my repertoire at that stage in my life.
I spoke about myself, unsure what constituted an appropriate answer, and mentioned the array of animals that had shared my life up to that point. I tried to appear as calm as I could, spoke clearly, and listened as they explained exactly what I was being interviewed for. I felt completely at home in that office and just wanted the two people opposite me to understand how important this moment in time was to me. Thankfully my answers seemed to gain me entry into this secretive world and I was on my way through the door and into the zoo itself.
One piece of advice I would give to anybody finding themselves in a similar situation is to give the impression of being unflappable, even if you are quaking inside. Don't ramble on about your 'love' for every pet you have ever had, and do not list every species of animal with which you hope to work. This may sound harsh, but the powers that be are always very wary of overattachment and inflexibility. Respect for animals and an open approach to where you may end up working is essential. You may have always dreamed of working with elephants but you may well have to start out grooming rabbits in the Children's Zoo to get there.
My first day as a baby zoo keeper arrived and I found myself in the zoo stores being kitted out with my uniform and my wellies. I was then taken to meet the overseers who did their best to intimidate me into submission and wipe the cheeky grin off my face by issuing me with my first work placement. I must admit that the cheeky grin did freeze for a second as I realised that I would be working for my first rotation in the insect house !
The staff in my new working location were all really friendly and I quickly realised never to allow a brief moment of panic to stop myself from taking on board the positives in any given situation. Being faced with rows of plastic tubes, each containing a tiny baby spider waiting to be fed, took me way out of any comfort zone or expectation about what my job would involve. I was handed a deeper pot containing tiny hatchling crickets and instructed to carefully tip one cricket in with each baby spider.
This breakfast ritual for my tiny charges became a source of immense fascination as they quickly shed their skins and grew. Baby praying mantids were lined up for similar care alongside the spiderlings and much of my day was spent in quiet concentration tending to their needs.
I learned the latin names for the species in our care and gained the nickname 'Cricket' as I frequently ended up with stray hatchling crickets in my hair after feeding time.
I will forever be indebted to the staff from the insect house for the way that they taught me patience and attention to the tiniest detail. I learned to appreciate things as they are, without preconcieved ideas as to what I think I like and don't like. This introduction to the world of zoo keeping showed me the diversity of the world I was entering, and the range of skills I would need to develop to make my way through.
Wednesday, 19 December 2012
Getting there
Zoo keeping is such a strange profession and there is a definite divide between the mentality of the zoo keeper and the mentality of the animal enthusiast. Not everybody who manages to secure a job looking after animals in a zoo will be perceived as a bone fide zoo keeper. It is a very competitive field of work and also a very unusual vocation where you are on show as much as the animals in your charge. It certainly takes all sorts in the zoo world! There are those reclusive keepers who have an encyclopaedic knowledge of the animals in their care but absolutely zero tolerance for the humans around the place. There are the gregarious ones strutting around proudly with their keys on show, always available to answer the questions that were ignored by the reclusive ones. The ones in between are more than happy to work out of the constant public gaze and concentrate on such delightful tasks as pond scrubbing but can also turn into showmen as required, ready to give a commentary and crack some jokes for the public as the reclusive one grimaces and concentrates on giving the right fish with the correct supplements to each individual sealion/penguin/otter/dolphin/shark (delete as required) at one of the advertised events.
The diverse nature of the animal husbandry tasks required for different captive species groups means that everyone will find their own niche after time and complement each others' strengths and weaknesses to get through a working day safely. There has to be an element of trust between those on a section to ensure that the species in their care have all of their needs met, everyone gets through a working day without serious injury, and the visiting public go home without too many complaints. The showmen get to prance around in front of the adoring public, the recluses get to potter behind the scenes, and those in between flit between the two areas with relative ease. There is a very delicate balance getting this right and there is a real risk of injury or worse if things go wrong.
To be a zoo keeper is to be trusted with a set of keys to have access to both public and off show areas. It is important to concentrate on the task in hand and not become distracted by a desire to be doing something else at the same time (or an attractive member of the public the other side of the viewing window). There is a time and a place for everything. A new member of staff or volunteer managing to get through the recruitment stage will be closely scrutinised over a period of time until the powers that be are satisfied that they can be trusted with a set of keys and access to off show areas unsupervised. Those that there are doubts about will remain firmly in the 'animal enthusiast' category without keys for their own safety, amd also the safety of the animals and eveyone else. I will explore these distinctions in more depth next time.
My first induction into the world of the zoo keeper came about at the age of 17. I was living in London, having moved up to help look after my nephew so that my sister could return to work. Wrangling toddler Tom was great fun but after a year it was time to get out there and find a proper job.
I had popped into the youth careers office in Leatherhead and was sat looking through the careers folders laid out on the table. The careers lady watched as I went straight to the back of each of the heavy tomes, ending up poring over the Z section each time. I had been voraciously reading any piece of literature I could lay my hands on about exotic animals and zoo keeping as a career since the age of about 10. These were the 1980's so internet research was a thing of the future, and I became very adept at researching in libraries, book shops, publications and the careers office.
After half an hour, I picked up the last remaining folder on the desk. This was the folder for jobs currently available, never usually brimming with elusive zoo keeping opportunities. My last encounter with this folder had led to me working for a week at a local show jumping stables. All had gone quite well, even though I was a bit confused by the array of strangely named leather items in the tack room. The horses had been beautiful to be around, the yard was extremely well managed and kept, but I was a little unsettled by the fact that these athletic animals were confined to their stables unless they were out training or competing. Some of the extremely valuable livery horses seemed to have been in their stables all week. On the Friday I was given my first pay packet and then asked to come in extra early on the Sunday to get the horses tacked up and groomed ready for the Sunday hunt. The penny suddenly dropped that the livery horses that had been cooped up all week got their exercise when their wealthy owners came down for the weekly fox hunt!!!!
This was it, my face could not hide my disgust, I politely explained that I would not be coming in on Sunday or ever again thank you very much.
Ever the optimist, I flicked through the numerous clerical officer and care home vacancies that seemed to be ever-present in the folder - this was the 80's decade of plenty so jobs were still available in a variety of sectors. I am a great believer in fate and I turned the page to a scrap of paper at the back that mentioned an urgent need to fill spaces on a youth training scheme. The youth training scheme, or YTS, was a much-maligned government scheme for 16-18yr olds at that time. They were fixed for a 12 month period, with a pay equivalent to unemployment benefit, and were designed to encourage employers to take on school leavers at a bargain rate for training and possible employment.
YTS adverts were usually the last point of call in my research but this particular advert was the turning point for me. The urgent request was to fill the last remaining spaces on a youth training scheme due to get underway the following week at LONDON ZOO!!!!!
The careers lady rang the number as I sat quivering and in a state of disbelief. She nodded while on the phone, made some notes, and then handed me a slip of paper with a huge smile on her face. There was one remaining space on the London Zoo scheme and I was invited to go to interview at 11am the following day at Regents Park. She seemed to be as happy about this development as me, and wished me good luck for the interview. She told me she had never helped anybody become a zoo keeper before. I skipped off to let my family know and was soon to find out what the future held.
The diverse nature of the animal husbandry tasks required for different captive species groups means that everyone will find their own niche after time and complement each others' strengths and weaknesses to get through a working day safely. There has to be an element of trust between those on a section to ensure that the species in their care have all of their needs met, everyone gets through a working day without serious injury, and the visiting public go home without too many complaints. The showmen get to prance around in front of the adoring public, the recluses get to potter behind the scenes, and those in between flit between the two areas with relative ease. There is a very delicate balance getting this right and there is a real risk of injury or worse if things go wrong.
To be a zoo keeper is to be trusted with a set of keys to have access to both public and off show areas. It is important to concentrate on the task in hand and not become distracted by a desire to be doing something else at the same time (or an attractive member of the public the other side of the viewing window). There is a time and a place for everything. A new member of staff or volunteer managing to get through the recruitment stage will be closely scrutinised over a period of time until the powers that be are satisfied that they can be trusted with a set of keys and access to off show areas unsupervised. Those that there are doubts about will remain firmly in the 'animal enthusiast' category without keys for their own safety, amd also the safety of the animals and eveyone else. I will explore these distinctions in more depth next time.
My first induction into the world of the zoo keeper came about at the age of 17. I was living in London, having moved up to help look after my nephew so that my sister could return to work. Wrangling toddler Tom was great fun but after a year it was time to get out there and find a proper job.
I had popped into the youth careers office in Leatherhead and was sat looking through the careers folders laid out on the table. The careers lady watched as I went straight to the back of each of the heavy tomes, ending up poring over the Z section each time. I had been voraciously reading any piece of literature I could lay my hands on about exotic animals and zoo keeping as a career since the age of about 10. These were the 1980's so internet research was a thing of the future, and I became very adept at researching in libraries, book shops, publications and the careers office.
After half an hour, I picked up the last remaining folder on the desk. This was the folder for jobs currently available, never usually brimming with elusive zoo keeping opportunities. My last encounter with this folder had led to me working for a week at a local show jumping stables. All had gone quite well, even though I was a bit confused by the array of strangely named leather items in the tack room. The horses had been beautiful to be around, the yard was extremely well managed and kept, but I was a little unsettled by the fact that these athletic animals were confined to their stables unless they were out training or competing. Some of the extremely valuable livery horses seemed to have been in their stables all week. On the Friday I was given my first pay packet and then asked to come in extra early on the Sunday to get the horses tacked up and groomed ready for the Sunday hunt. The penny suddenly dropped that the livery horses that had been cooped up all week got their exercise when their wealthy owners came down for the weekly fox hunt!!!!
This was it, my face could not hide my disgust, I politely explained that I would not be coming in on Sunday or ever again thank you very much.
Ever the optimist, I flicked through the numerous clerical officer and care home vacancies that seemed to be ever-present in the folder - this was the 80's decade of plenty so jobs were still available in a variety of sectors. I am a great believer in fate and I turned the page to a scrap of paper at the back that mentioned an urgent need to fill spaces on a youth training scheme. The youth training scheme, or YTS, was a much-maligned government scheme for 16-18yr olds at that time. They were fixed for a 12 month period, with a pay equivalent to unemployment benefit, and were designed to encourage employers to take on school leavers at a bargain rate for training and possible employment.
YTS adverts were usually the last point of call in my research but this particular advert was the turning point for me. The urgent request was to fill the last remaining spaces on a youth training scheme due to get underway the following week at LONDON ZOO!!!!!
The careers lady rang the number as I sat quivering and in a state of disbelief. She nodded while on the phone, made some notes, and then handed me a slip of paper with a huge smile on her face. There was one remaining space on the London Zoo scheme and I was invited to go to interview at 11am the following day at Regents Park. She seemed to be as happy about this development as me, and wished me good luck for the interview. She told me she had never helped anybody become a zoo keeper before. I skipped off to let my family know and was soon to find out what the future held.
Monday, 12 November 2012
Why am I here?
Hi to anyone that has stumbled across my first foray into the world of the blog.
Why am I here? Why is my blog called When I grow up I want to be a zoo keeper?
Those two phrases pretty much sum up my life so far. We're all born into this world as a supposed blank canvas and then we spend the rest of our life trying to establish an identity and find a way to pass the time and work out why we are here.
I was born in 1968 as child number 4 in Ashtead, Surrey. The geographical location of my birth had an impact on what makes me happy now. Four miles in one direction was the place that would develop my interest in a leisure pursuit that I hold dear, four miles in the other direction was the place that must have stimulated my psyche and laid the foundations for my identity and future career.
Epsom was the actual location of my birth, in Epsom District Hospital. Up the road from the hospital is the hallowed turf of Epsom Downs. This beautiful windswept place is known worldwide as the location of the racecourse that hosts the Epsom Derby, the most challenging of all of the flat racing classics. Epsom Downs means so much more to me than that, and I will return to that in another blog I'm sure.
Horse racing was a pastime shared by me and my dad. I have memories of being told to sit on a ledge by the door in the betting shop in Ashtead on a Saturday morning, doodling on betting slips while dad put his bets on. Saturday afternoons were spent watching the ITV 7 races on tv with dad and my little brother Nick. We would all pick a horse in each race and whoever finished in front of the others would be rewarded with 2p - well, it was the 1970's! Dad and Nick are no longer with us, and it is a real comfort and time of quiet relaxation for me to sit down with the newspaper at the ready and watch the racing on the telly.
Chessington became the place of discovery for me, a place that always felt like home and still does. I'm not talking about the town but the zoo. I have no idea how old I was on my first visit to Chessington Zoo, but I'm pretty sure that much of my formative years was spent waiting for Ben the hippo to move out of his mud wallow, holding out my hand to be licked by the giraffes, and standing by the old ape house trying to make sense of the relationship between myself as a human and the great apes in front of me.
My constant companion as a child was my dog Wicker. Whatever happened in life, however I was feeling about things, Wicker was there. The connection between myself and other animals was always one of mutual respect and communication. Humans were challenging and difficult to understand for me, whereas animals were so much more straightforward and honest.
I am sitting writing this blog as much for myself as for anyone that takes the time to read it. My life so far has been a whirlwind of different amazing experiences. Sitting here writing this helps me to remember everything that has made me who I am. It gives me a time of reflection, and hopefully will give you an interesting read and shed some light on how to make the most of life by taking chances and following your dreams :)
Why am I here? Why is my blog called When I grow up I want to be a zoo keeper?
Those two phrases pretty much sum up my life so far. We're all born into this world as a supposed blank canvas and then we spend the rest of our life trying to establish an identity and find a way to pass the time and work out why we are here.
I was born in 1968 as child number 4 in Ashtead, Surrey. The geographical location of my birth had an impact on what makes me happy now. Four miles in one direction was the place that would develop my interest in a leisure pursuit that I hold dear, four miles in the other direction was the place that must have stimulated my psyche and laid the foundations for my identity and future career.
Epsom was the actual location of my birth, in Epsom District Hospital. Up the road from the hospital is the hallowed turf of Epsom Downs. This beautiful windswept place is known worldwide as the location of the racecourse that hosts the Epsom Derby, the most challenging of all of the flat racing classics. Epsom Downs means so much more to me than that, and I will return to that in another blog I'm sure.
Horse racing was a pastime shared by me and my dad. I have memories of being told to sit on a ledge by the door in the betting shop in Ashtead on a Saturday morning, doodling on betting slips while dad put his bets on. Saturday afternoons were spent watching the ITV 7 races on tv with dad and my little brother Nick. We would all pick a horse in each race and whoever finished in front of the others would be rewarded with 2p - well, it was the 1970's! Dad and Nick are no longer with us, and it is a real comfort and time of quiet relaxation for me to sit down with the newspaper at the ready and watch the racing on the telly.
Chessington became the place of discovery for me, a place that always felt like home and still does. I'm not talking about the town but the zoo. I have no idea how old I was on my first visit to Chessington Zoo, but I'm pretty sure that much of my formative years was spent waiting for Ben the hippo to move out of his mud wallow, holding out my hand to be licked by the giraffes, and standing by the old ape house trying to make sense of the relationship between myself as a human and the great apes in front of me.
My constant companion as a child was my dog Wicker. Whatever happened in life, however I was feeling about things, Wicker was there. The connection between myself and other animals was always one of mutual respect and communication. Humans were challenging and difficult to understand for me, whereas animals were so much more straightforward and honest.
I am sitting writing this blog as much for myself as for anyone that takes the time to read it. My life so far has been a whirlwind of different amazing experiences. Sitting here writing this helps me to remember everything that has made me who I am. It gives me a time of reflection, and hopefully will give you an interesting read and shed some light on how to make the most of life by taking chances and following your dreams :)
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