Twycross Zoo - The World Primate Centre
5th - 17th September 2012
Being a Primate Centre; I spent the majority of my placement working with different species of primates and their keepers
My first week at Twycross I was put into the primate section, this includes species such as Colobus, Howlers, Marmosets, Tamarins etc. The only primate species I was not able to work with were the Gorillas, Chimps or Orang Utuan as they are very territorial and do not like strangers.
I spent the first 2 days in Monkey House, which housed; 2 Black and White Colobus and a family of variegated spider monkeys. The next 2 days in 'World of Small Monkeys', working alongside the Pygmy Marmosets, Silveries, Emperor Tamarins and Red-handed Tamarins. The final day on Primates I spent with the Howlers.
The routine for each house was pretty much the same. Every morning the monkeys would be shut into their outdoor enclosures so that we could begin cleaning indoors. We had to wipe down all of the surfaces, walls and windows to remove any dirt or faeces that had collected over night. The bark from the floor was then swept out and replaced with fresh bedding. Once the enclosure had been cleared and cleaned, the morning feeds were scattered through-out the enclosure to tempt them back inside whilst we poo-picked and cleared their outdoor enclosure. When the enclosures had been cleaned, we then turned our attention on to the public areas of the Monkey House which would have to be mopped and dried and the windows washed before opening time when the guests would arrive.
After the morning routine, the keepers would start on a mini-project. The first day this meant collecting a variety of browse to provide enrichment for the monkeys to put in and around their enclosures to give them something new to play with and explore. The second day we helped in the Gibbon house to make a brand new Gibbon Run. We each made a different type of toy including; swings, rope ladders, tyre swings and bridges. I was also allowed to view a training session with the Howlers to teach them basic commands to help with veterinary procedures making it easier to administer medication or injections easily. These were a lot of fun and gave me an excellent opportunity to ask the keepers questions and get to know more about them and their jobs.
Once the enrichment projects were done we would return to the main kitchen and being preparing and sorting the food for the afternoon scatter feeds and some of the feeds for the following morning. Chopping SO much fruit!! I don't think I have ever or will ever see that many bananas, apples and tomatoes all in one place!! Once the animals had been given their food and the kitchens had been cleared it was time to shut the monkeys into the sleeping compartments for the night.
The following week I spent a day on Hoof stock, with the Tapir, Capybara. We has to muck out all the stables and wash out the Tapir Shed which the Tapirs thoroughly enjoyed, almost as much as they enjoyed playing with the hose pipe. One of the Tapirs had a skin infection and so we had to apply cream to the worst affected places to ensure she did not scratch herself too badly allowed the skin a chance to heal.
It was another day filled with food preparation and a tight feeding schedule. When the end of the day came, it was incredibly easy to put the capybara and Tapirs to bed. The Mara, however, were a bit more of a problem. Being extremely skittish it was a mammoth task to round them up and encourage them back into their stables. As soon as one ran the others would follow suit and we would have to try and round them up again.
The remainder of my time at Twycross was spent in the Children's Zoo. Here they have 2 Reindeer, Alpaca, 3 Wallaby, 2 goats, snakes, a chinchilla and a great number of Ferrets, Guinea Pigs and Rats.
Once all of the animals had been cleaned and mucked out, fed and watered we were able to interact with the public and a number of 'Meet the Pet' sessions were carried out throughout the day. It was nice getting to see the faces of the children as they were allowed to stroke the various pets.
My placement at Twycross was extremely insightful and enjoyable. Being able to work in an institution that puts such a high priority on conservation was extremely interesting as I am passionate about conservation practises, particularly captive breeding programmes that a number of the animals kept at the Zoo are involved in.
Being a Primate Centre; I spent the majority of my placement working with different species of primates and their keepers
My first week at Twycross I was put into the primate section, this includes species such as Colobus, Howlers, Marmosets, Tamarins etc. The only primate species I was not able to work with were the Gorillas, Chimps or Orang Utuan as they are very territorial and do not like strangers.
I spent the first 2 days in Monkey House, which housed; 2 Black and White Colobus and a family of variegated spider monkeys. The next 2 days in 'World of Small Monkeys', working alongside the Pygmy Marmosets, Silveries, Emperor Tamarins and Red-handed Tamarins. The final day on Primates I spent with the Howlers.
The routine for each house was pretty much the same. Every morning the monkeys would be shut into their outdoor enclosures so that we could begin cleaning indoors. We had to wipe down all of the surfaces, walls and windows to remove any dirt or faeces that had collected over night. The bark from the floor was then swept out and replaced with fresh bedding. Once the enclosure had been cleared and cleaned, the morning feeds were scattered through-out the enclosure to tempt them back inside whilst we poo-picked and cleared their outdoor enclosure. When the enclosures had been cleaned, we then turned our attention on to the public areas of the Monkey House which would have to be mopped and dried and the windows washed before opening time when the guests would arrive.
After the morning routine, the keepers would start on a mini-project. The first day this meant collecting a variety of browse to provide enrichment for the monkeys to put in and around their enclosures to give them something new to play with and explore. The second day we helped in the Gibbon house to make a brand new Gibbon Run. We each made a different type of toy including; swings, rope ladders, tyre swings and bridges. I was also allowed to view a training session with the Howlers to teach them basic commands to help with veterinary procedures making it easier to administer medication or injections easily. These were a lot of fun and gave me an excellent opportunity to ask the keepers questions and get to know more about them and their jobs.
Once the enrichment projects were done we would return to the main kitchen and being preparing and sorting the food for the afternoon scatter feeds and some of the feeds for the following morning. Chopping SO much fruit!! I don't think I have ever or will ever see that many bananas, apples and tomatoes all in one place!! Once the animals had been given their food and the kitchens had been cleared it was time to shut the monkeys into the sleeping compartments for the night.
The following week I spent a day on Hoof stock, with the Tapir, Capybara. We has to muck out all the stables and wash out the Tapir Shed which the Tapirs thoroughly enjoyed, almost as much as they enjoyed playing with the hose pipe. One of the Tapirs had a skin infection and so we had to apply cream to the worst affected places to ensure she did not scratch herself too badly allowed the skin a chance to heal.
It was another day filled with food preparation and a tight feeding schedule. When the end of the day came, it was incredibly easy to put the capybara and Tapirs to bed. The Mara, however, were a bit more of a problem. Being extremely skittish it was a mammoth task to round them up and encourage them back into their stables. As soon as one ran the others would follow suit and we would have to try and round them up again.
The remainder of my time at Twycross was spent in the Children's Zoo. Here they have 2 Reindeer, Alpaca, 3 Wallaby, 2 goats, snakes, a chinchilla and a great number of Ferrets, Guinea Pigs and Rats.
Once all of the animals had been cleaned and mucked out, fed and watered we were able to interact with the public and a number of 'Meet the Pet' sessions were carried out throughout the day. It was nice getting to see the faces of the children as they were allowed to stroke the various pets.
My placement at Twycross was extremely insightful and enjoyable. Being able to work in an institution that puts such a high priority on conservation was extremely interesting as I am passionate about conservation practises, particularly captive breeding programmes that a number of the animals kept at the Zoo are involved in.