National Zoo and Aquarium zookeeper Thea Crook needs to check on and feed the Little Penguins three times a day – and she has more than just one species of animal under her wing as part of her duties. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
Genetic scientist, chef, dietician, vet, cleaner, animal emotional support officer, mental enrichment expert, trainer, teacher and, yes, pooper scooper.
These are just some of the hats zookeepers at the National Zoo and Aquarium wear to care for Canberra’s exotic residents.
And these switch depending on which animal you’re caring for at any point in the day.
When zookeeper Thea Crook is looking after the Little Penguins, the first job of the day is checking in with the group (all named after 90s rappers) to make sure everyone has had a good night and the enclosure is safe, before prepping breakfast.
The penguins are fed three times a day, with cleans and tidies in between.
At one point each day the penguins are also provided with some enrichment activities to add some variety to their lives.
“This time of year it tends to be materials that they can nest with, but sometimes it will be toys in the pool that they can play with and investigate, or sandcastles in the enclosure,” Thea said.
Feeding times can be one of the most important steps of a zookeeper’s day as it gives them the chance to make sure an animal (or bird or fish or reptile) is healthy.
Appetite changes can be one indication that something is wrong, especially for prey animals.
“We hand-feed them as well, so they come right up to us and we get a really good view of them … which is really important, especially during breeding season, as one half of the pair will stay at home looking after the nest and the eggs and the other half of that pair will come out and eat, so they may only come out every other day,” Thea said.
Weigh-ins and other medical checks are also important ways to make sure the zoo’s residents are thriving.
Special training activities are planned for each animal to prepare them for situations such as learning ‘target’ training (touching a ball with their nose), which can then be used to encourage an animal into a crate, or to direct them to stand in a certain spot.
For the zoo’s resident emu Moo, this training involves slices of apples as an incentive.
“We do a lot of positive conditioning and training with him. For example, to get his weight we give him small treats of food to encourage him to walk onto a platform, that allows us to get his weight and monitor his health,” principle veterinarian Joanne Johnson said.
There’s a lot that goes into looking after the animals and the zoo, with all levels of staff playing a role.
“We have our education department that are here to spread the conservation message and take people throughout the zoo, we have our animal care staff that do the food prep and the cleaning and work in close with our animals,” Joanne said.
“We also have a lot of volunteers and they’re an integral part of what we do.”
The community can help celebrate the National Zoo and Aquarium’s zookeepers, and all their other staff, with special events being held during the school holidays.
The main event weekend is Saturday and Sunday, 4 and 5 October, where there’ll be live music, lawn games and plenty of other surprises. Saturday is also World Animal Day, with a costume contest being held to help raise funds for ACT Wildlife.
The National Zoo and Aquarium is open daily from 9 am to 5 pm (except Christmas Day).
Original Article published by Claire Fenwicke on Region Canberra.
