Keeper's Diary
Rachael Miller – Bird Section Keeper
Be prepared to get dirty regardless of which species you work with. The animals need to be cared for every day of the year, so keepers work a rota system which includes weekends, bank holidays, Christmas and New Year.
Passion for animals
A keeper must be passionate about animals and have a good understanding of their behaviour. Animal keepers are usually attracted to the career through love of the job, rather than by the prospect of earning a lot of money.
The image of keepers having regular ‘hands on’ contact with animals is a common misconception. In reality, direct contact usually only occurs during a health inspection, in some animal husbandry training sessions or during animal collection transfers.
Career opportunities
Full time keepers are required to enrol in a two-year, distance learning Zoo Animal Management course through Sparsholt College in Hampshire. Job openings for keeper positions are scarce so working in a reputable pet shop or at a veterinary clinic, or studying an animal related course are good ways of gaining animal experience.
I started at the Zoo as a summer catering assistant in 2002. I was offered the summer keeper job on the bird section in 2004, and from then I returned whenever possible while studying for my Psychology undergraduate degree at Glasgow University.
I graduated in 2008, and was offered a full-time keeper position. Over the last few years, I have worked on various animal sections but feel that my true passion is working with birds.
A typical day in the Bird Section
I have outlined below a ‘typical’ day but activities often vary greatly from day to day and are affected by the time of year, so keepers have to be adaptable. The summer breeding seasons tend to be the busiest time on section as breeding birds is a delicate process which involves specialist knowledge, constant monitoring of breeding behaviour, careful introductions of breeding pairs as well as providing suitable nesting material, nest boxes or baskets.
8am
With 180 birds comprising of over 40 species located through out the park, the bird section is always busy. My day starts by collecting my keys and radio- used for communication with colleagues. It is a huge daily responsibility to ensure that the animals are kept healthy and happy. I begin with a check of every animal to make sure that they are not showing any signs of ill health. Being observant is essential for a keeper.
Insects such as crickets and locusts are scattered in the enclosure during all stock checks to encourage natural, foraging behaviour. Any medication required is delivered in a way that causes minimum stress, for example, hidden within a food item like a locust or a grape. If there are any eggs in the incubator, the temperature and humidity levels are checked regularly.
8.30am
The first few hours of each day are spent feeding the animals and thoroughly cleaning every enclosure. I am currently training our Marabou stork and run two training sessions a day. The main aim of the training is to encourage him to return to his house on winter nights and make him feel comfortable being handled by keepers during health checks. It is also a great form of enrichment.
11am
Bird section meeting – this is an opportunity to share observations and report any concerns regarding the birds.
11.30-1pm
Food is carefully prepared for the following day with each species receiving its own specially designed diet. For instance, meat eating birds may receive chopped chicks, mice, fish, horse meat, mussels and prawns, whilst fruit eating birds receive a variety of finely chopped fruit, mixed with other ingredients including grated carrot, scrambled egg and pigeon seed mix. All feeds are sprinkled with vitamin supplements and cuttlefish bone.
1.45pm
After lunch, I am involved in a research study with a pair of Common ravens in collaboration with the Zoo’s researcher Valerie, from St Andrews University. All the birds are then re-checked, some receive a second feed and the enclosure cleaning continues. The Marabou stork receives his second training session of the day and enrichment is provided for the other animals. For parrots and cockatoos, for example, this may involve providing fruit kebabs, browse to chew, or pineapple tops dipped in honey and sunflower seeds.
3.30pm
There is a Steller’s sea eagle feed and talk, where the keepers present information on this species at the enclosure with an Education staff member.
4.30pm
Keepers maintain detailed records on the animals, including medical and behavioural information. At the end of the day, animals are re-checked, public viewing areas are closed and during the winter months, some species are put in for the night. For example, flamingos can experience foot problems if left out in very low temperatures.
6pm
Radios are put on charge overnight, keys are handed in, and I go home, ready to do it all again the next day.
