Keeper For The Day
Our zoo keeper experience is designed to give you a real taste of what it’s like to work with our animals every day. A full-day experience, you’ll visit almost every part of the park. You’ll see the lions released in the morning, hand-feed the giraffes and help our rhinos scratch their itches in their daily check-up. And that’s just for starters…
- 5 hour experience from 9am to 3.30pm
- Lunch and refreshments included
- Individual experience for ages 16+
- Maximum of four people per day
- Full guided tour of all areas of the park
A unique opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at some of your favourite animals and really get your hands dirty. And when we say dirty, we mean it! We’ll provide you with overalls, but please make sure you bring some sturdy boots or wellies that you don’t mind getting muddy.
We only offer one experience a day for up to four people. This is to ensure our animals stay nice and relaxed and aren’t overwhelmed by too many different faces. A lot of our animals are very bonded to their keepers, so it’s important we keep things consistent for them.
Zookeeper for a day: what to expect
You’ll be hands on from the very start of your day, so grab those overalls and get stuck in! Here’s a sample of what you might be doing:
9:00am:
Breakfast is served for our Barbary macaque troop. You’ll be helping the keepers place food around the enclosure to encourage the macaques to forage.
9:30am:
A drive through the African section of the reserve, where your guide will point out all the different species and answer your questions – look out for the rhinos and the Ankole cattle with their enormous horns, You’ll also spot two different species of antelope.
9:45am:
Release the lions! Yes, that’s right, you’ll get to be there as we let the lions out in the morning. And as we usually lay out food or enrichment for them, they really come running!
10:00am:
Your very own VIP tour round the Asian section of the drive-thru reserves. Our team will help you spot every animal and give you lots of fun facts about each species.
10.15am:
Tea Break (well earned).
10:30am:
Visit our giraffes behind the scenes! You’ll get to interact with them both on the viewing platform and on the ground, and our team will tell you all about their diet and care.
11am:
Meet our female rhinos Dot, Tswane and little Morag. Friendly and tactile with their keepers, these three ladies will keep you busy scratching their itches. A truly unforgettable close-up experience, and a highlight for many.
11.30am:
Say hello to our lovely lemurs. You’ll be the most popular person in Lemur Land as you help prepare enrichment for them and scatter food.
12pm:
Lunch. You deserve it! You can use your lunch voucher at any of our food outlets – choose from our main restaurant, loaded fries stand or BBQ shack.
1.15pm:
Meet our cheeky meerkat mob and lend a hand at feeding time – just be prepared, their lunch might be wriggling!
1.45pm:
Meet-and-greet with the stars of our Bird-of-prey display. Take a guided tour of our Bird of Prey Centre, watch our bird-of-prey display and fly our vulture Kevin.
2.45pm:
Feed the penguins! Meet our charming penguins and become very popular as you feed them some of their favourite fishy treats.
3pm:
Meet some of our gentlest inhabitants – our gorgeous red ruffed lemurs. You’ll help to give them their dinner.
3.15pm:
And… relax. You’re done (collapsing with a big smile on your face optional).
Please note: this itinerary is just an example and may change.
Getting hands-on with our animals: some top tips
Our keepers are professionals and do this job every day, but it’s easy to forget how mind-blowing their day-to-day can be. You’re sure to have an amazing time, but it can also be a bit overwhelming if you’re experiencing these things for the first time. Here’s our top tips on how to make friends with our animals and stay safe:
- Although they live here at the park with us, don’t forget most of these animals are wild! That means, always follow your keeper’s instructions, move slowly and calmly and try not to make any loud noises.
- Be respectful to all our animals. You are their guests. Please don’t try to touch or feed the animals without a keeper’s permission and remember to be gentle.
- We’ll give you overalls, but make sure you’ve got some robust boots or wellies. Looking after large animals in flip-flops is never a good idea!
- If you feel overwhelmed or uncomfortable at any time, tell one of our team and they’ll help you.
- We’re sorry, but this experience isn’t suitable for pregnant women or women who have given birth within the last six months.
- Photos are allowed at certain times, but we’ll let you know when. Please don’t take any photos without asking first as it can sometimes upset the animals.
- Most of all, remember to enjoy this incredible up-close experience with some of the world’s rarest species.
Important Information
Pregnant women and those who have recently given birth are not able to take part in any of our experiences until at least six months after giving birth.
If you have any accessibility requirements, please contact us before making your booking so we can ensure your experience is tailored to your needs.
If you keep/work with poultry or any other birds, please get in touch with us before your visit. This helps us take the necessary precautions to ensure the safety and wellbeing of both your birds and ours.
In order to comply with the Avian Influenza Protection Zone requirements, all guests taking part in the Keeper for a Day Experience must fully submerge their shoes in a disinfectant foot bath before entering the penguin habitat. To ensure this process is as smooth as possible, we kindly ask that participants wear wellies, as these are easiest to clean and disinfect.