We were told to report to the staff entrance at Monday at 8:45am. where we were met by Karen a keeper with 18 years experience. She gave us a quick introduction and a uniform to wear (OK it was a green boiler suit) and then it was off to work.
First up was cleaning out the Giraffes' sleeping area. A big room full of smelly straw which we shovelled away and replaced with fresh. Then we got to feed the giraffes themselves from high platform with carrots and leaves. There tongues are black and very rough feeling. Some of the zebras came over to see what was happening with caused a bit of a fight as the giraffes are territorial and chased them off.
Next it was a trip around the aquarium. Both the front and behind scenes with me asking loads of questions (like where do they get their sea water from (as its not all the same!)). We got to feed the piranhas which involved drop defrosted small fish into the tank from a good few feet above!
Next it was off to the food prep area to make the Bearded pigs food. An interesting round room covered with recipes on the blackboard walls for all the different types of animals. Apparently Gordon Ramsey had also visited this bit of the zoo for one of his programmes. We left the food in buckets for the keepers to give them at lunchtime and we went out to visit the pigs. To give the pigs and bit of a treat on the way out we threw hazelnuts into the enclosure. They make quite a noise crunching the shells and the pig had a bit of excitement routing around for the nuts.
After that it was on to the Penguins to scrub the poo off the pool, which we did with plastic brooms. We got to meet rocky the rock hopper, who was to be fair more interested in woo-ing one of the other penguins. I got opportunity to touch him and stroke him, which felt very unusual as under the feathers he is very solidly built penguin, all muscle. Not what I had imagined they would feel like.
After lunch, in the staff canteen, it was off to meet the Koatis. It was raining slightly but fortunately they were inside. We joined them in their inside room and sat down on a bench and they could run backwards and forwards across our laps looking for food. They didn't seem to be worried about us at all and I think were probably a bit annoyed in the end that we didn't have any food.
The Anteaters came next after a quick journey around the monkey walk. The little yellow monkeys don't like the rain very much and they peered at us from under the broad leaves.
The zoo has two Anteaters, we got to feed them and clean their snouts. You take a handful of meal worms and make a fist. The anteaters then lick them right out of your fist with their long (20cm) tongue which flicks out at the bottom of your fist. A very strange feeling that one. While they are feeding you can clean their snout with a damp sponge. amazing creature they are so large and solid. At the end of our time with them they got a treat of an avocado each. while their mouth isn't really design for fruit there large claws ripped them to little bits which could be licked up.
Next to the anteater is the large bug house and we got a bit side tract looking at all the creepy crawlies. Made me think how I really need to come back as a member of public to go around the place again.
And so on to meet the Meerkats. Now they got proper excited when they saw us coming as they knew one of their favourite treats as on the way, live food. We had a bag full of crickets and meal worms. I took and handful of the bugs (some of the ones weren't keen on this bit) and emptied into the crowd of Meerkats below us. Actually the meal worms dropped down but the crickets tried to hang on until I shook them off.
The bug caused a bit of a fight as the Meerkats dashed around after the crickets. In fact they seem to ganging up on one of their number and the Meerkat keeper said that it wasn't that unusual with groups of animals but he would have to keep an eye on them so that none of them got hurt.
After that chaos we finished with something a bit more calm, feeding the Lemurs. On the way there with our buckets of food the Otters looked eager but they were out of luck. We got to sit in the Lemur cage with a handful each of the food and the Lemurs came right up and took it out of our hands. I had one sitting on my knee sorting through the food it turns out he only wanted the carrots and just picked up and tossed the swede onto the floor.
We exited out of the Lemurs area oddly enough straight into the Bat house. Then it was back down to the staff area. A quick change, souvenir t-shirt, tote bag and magazine later and it was off to the canteen for a cup of tea and cake, finishing around 4ish.
Another good day out, pretending to be keepers. Someone even ask me directions to something at one point. So I must have looked the part.
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