Trainee zookeeper blog - From Paws to Hooves

I have always loved animals, but canids were most definitely my passion; everything from bat-eared foxes to African wild dogs. I had lived and breathed domestic dogs for years, and as I touched on in my previous blog, was lucky enough to spend time volunteering with wolves, which were some of the best months of my life. I spent a lot of my spare time reading about them and studying for a canine behaviour qualification. When I envisaged my career with animals, I assumed I would always follow the canid path I was carving out for myself. However, when the position working with the hoofed species at the Park came up, I did not hesitate.

Despite there being European wolves and Arctic foxes on the other section, Douglas, our Head of Living Collections had previously advised me never to limit myself to only applying for jobs working with particular species. He told me that once I had worked in the profession for a number of years, then I could perhaps think about specialising. Aside from that advice, I had grown very fond of the ungulates on the main reserve from when I was working on the guided tours. I had learnt a little about the various species in the process and come to know a few of the more charismatic individuals, such as Tomek our easily identifiable European bison bull.

So when I was given the job I was ecstatic, but it quickly dawned on me that I knew very little about the animals I was about to start working with. I had some experience with horses and a little with reindeer, but otherwise it was all brand new. Starting any new job is never easy. It is a case of mentally preparing yourself for all the new procedures you have to learn, rules you have to remember and people you have to meet. Not to mention trying to remember everybody’s name. So you can imagine how overwhelmed I was when I was introduced to the 154 hoofed animals that were now in part my responsibility. That is a lot of species, names and personalities.

I assumed I would be drawn to the iconic species, such as the muskox or the European elk. Yet ironically, two of the species that I had never paid much attention to whilst on visitor services, turned out to be the animals I quickly enjoyed working with the most; the southern vicuna and Himalayan tahr. Vicuna are the smallest species in the camel family and they are the wild ancestor of the domestic alpaca. They are comical creatures with extroverted personalities. I like to think they have “small man syndrome” and they were having social dramas on an almost daily basis which immediately peaked my interest. Himalayan tahr are a species of goat that live in the mountains and are extremely agile climbers. These goats are also timid by nature and were very shy around us, which is what drew me to them.

Morag, my Head Keeper, was very encouraging and allowed me to spend a little extra time working with both groups and over the following months I found that I was able to work with my team to adjust the husbandry of both species in an effort to make all of our lives a little easier. As I became accustomed to all the individuals and got to know their personalities, I was even allowed to name all of our tahr, which only fanned the obsession. Thankfully, our efforts seem to have paid off to some degree, as the vicuna are generally a lot calmer and the tahr are more comfortable in our presence. Saying that, I think I actually got much more out of the experience than the animals did; I aim to continue working closely with and learn from both species.

If someone had told me when I was driving visitors around the reserve in our tours vehicle that I would soon be spending hours of my time trying to inspire a few cheeky vicuna to be “nice” to one another, or that I would be sitting in a circle of tahr, I would have laughed. This job has so far made me realise that you can never tell which animals will steal your heart, or perhaps should I say “your focus”, if I am trying to remain professional. I interpreted the advice I was given in the wrong way initially as I thought it was just to help me get my foot in the door, but I understand now that by working with animals I had previously never even heard of, I have opened an endless scope of possibilities. Working with a range of species helps ensure your development as a well-rounded keeper, anything from molluscs to primates. This is not to say that canids are no longer my passion, but it has just made me realise working with any animal is rewarding enough.

Gemma
RZSS Highland Wildlife Park, Trainee Zookeeper