Animal Keeper Review

Worked as a zoo keeper in a bird park. Start the day replacing food bowls and washing old ones up. Next, food prep involved chopping fruit, veg, meat etc to prepare the appropriate diets for the birds. Afternoon activities including enclosure and park maintenance. Also involved were public talks about specific species or enclosures, as well as driving a safari train.

I learnt about specific species needs, with regards to enclosure size and space, species enrichment, species comparability and specific diets. It was important to recognise individual behaviours to recognise health issues.

I thoroughly enjoyed learning about and working with the birds. Physical interaction boosted the quality of learning and understanding. I made friends but found that issues occurred between particular staff, and perhaps a lack of understanding of staff needs.

I feel that they appreciated my willingness to participate in all and any activities. However, I feel that this was sometimes taken advantage of while other volunteers were given more enjoyable and valuable experience.

The program was not well organised between the university and the placement, with issues with regards to personal projects and communication. It was difficult to resolve any issues that occurred.

Although I was visited once and had to go to the university for a meeting, I felt that my problems were considered unimportant and struggled to find anyone to truly pay attention and look into my issues. I feel that they were not considered as serious.

I found that my direct manager provided very little support, and that other members of staff were more helpful to me. This showed signs of a lack of professionalism and made me feel uncomfortable.

I did not receive any money for anything, including lunch and travel costs. I had to buy a car to drive 70 miles everyday for 30 weeks, 10 days a fortnight. I had some money leftover from working in the summer and received some money for the university but had to borrow a lot from parents.

I find this question unclear. I did participate in social activities such as pub meals and a trip to the adult play put in Portsmouth. I also went to the Christmas party.

No

There were a lot of issues within the company. Some people are happy there but I believe it is dependent on how well you fit into the group socially, otherwise you will feel outcast.

Consider personal strengths and weaknesses and how well they will work for the job. You must be passionate in the career path to continue working here. I would recommend fully understanding the job roles of different departments.