The first few weeks!

February 22, 2014 by TashG 3 Comments

This first post is going to be a bit tricky as I’m going to try and fit my first three weeks into one blog, so I’ll do my best to cram the information in!

At Dartmoor zoo, the zookeepers have 4 or 5 “rounds” that have to be carried out, which involves a round in the morning and the afternoon cleaning the enclosures, changing bedding, and feeding and giving water. As a volunteer I was paired up with zookeeper staff and for these first weeks I was involved in the small mammals round (monkeys, otter, meerkats, agouti, coati, racoons and fox) and the paddocks round (reindeer, antelope, ostrich, tapir, capybara, rhea, ducks, goats and chickens). In between conducting these rounds there is time to do odd jobs and prepare the food for the next round.

So what have I learnt so far…

1. Being a zookeeper is exhausting!

There is so much work that goes into being a zookeeper that is physically tiring: scrubbing floors, pushing heavy wheelbarrows, trekking through very muddy fields carrying heavy loads of food and waste manure and bedding etc. And that’s just from carrying out the rounds! In between rounds, odd jobs so far have including dragging heavy logs from a fallen tree into enclosure to use as enrichment, moving equipment and trekking around field checking fence posts. I’m hoping that after a few more weeks I might feel a bit fitter! At the moment, I’m happy that I can have chips for lunch every week and not feel guilty 🙂

2. Don’t be a chicken.

Although I am obviously a great animal lover, larger animals (horses etc.) have always made me a bit nervous; maybe it’s the risk of being trampled… However, I have come to realise that I won’t be sent into an enclosure unless it’s perfectly safe so I should stop worrying! Two examples of this come to mind. The first is when I got sent into the stables to feed the reindeer and I was surprised to be allowed in (the antlers look like they could do some damage!).  But whilst I was inside I realised they were much more interested in the food than me, and they were perfectly happy to be stroked and fussed around. Lovely creatures!

The other example is the experience of being followed around a field by the horses (I think they were convinced we had food for them!). And having been trapped in a corner by them, and been headbutted in the arm repeatedly for attention, and had my coat nibbled (I was lucky, they somehow managed to unzip Rachel’s coat with their teeth!), I’ve realised that I think that they are not going to hurt you, they are just desperate for attention. And food.

3. It’s not as glamorous as it sounds.

Within 15 minutes of starting on my first day I had already come into contact with monkey poo. I’ve been so covered in mud (and probably poo) that I’ve had to hose myself down. I’ve been rained on until I’m soaked to the skin. So all in all, being a zookeeper is not as glamorous as Scarlet Johansson makes it look.

4. It’s worth the hard work!

On my second week as a volunteer, I was an “extra” and not sent on an animal round in the morning. I spent most of the day dragging logs in the rain and chopping up vegetables, which was boring, tiring, cold and a bit miserable. By the time I got home and my boyfriend asked “how was your day at the zoo?” I’d forgotten all that and only seemed to remember feeding and stroking a tapir (my new favourite animal), getting to see the fox using her new platform we had built and watching the baby meerkats. So my answer was “ SUCH a great day”.

ANIMAL OF THE DAY

My new favourite animal is the Tapir. There are 4 Brazilian Tapir (Tapirus terrestris) at Dartmoor Zoo: two adult males, and adult female and a young male. There are so many things I love about them: their dopy, humanoid faces, their enchanting high pitch squeals, the fact that they will happily eat out of your hand… So this week I’ve decided to learn more about them.

Brazilian Tapir can be found in the rainforests of Brazil and neighbouring countries. They are active from dusk to dawn and feed on shoots, twigs and aquatic plants. Tapir use water as a refuge from predators and a place to forage for food. They can stay submerged for hours using their snout as a snorkel or can hold their breath for 90 seconds. At Dartmoor zoo they are fed with whole fruit and vegetables combined with additional nutrients from specific dry food.

They are usually solitary animals, with males and females only coming together to breed. Tapir young are born with cream coloured stripes on their sides, which fade to the adult colouring after about 6 months. They are listed as vulnerable and numbers have dropped by roughly 30% in the last 30 years, mainly due to deforestation.