Pets Australia Issue 70 August 2017

Photos courtesy of the Australian Reptile Park

30

PETS | Wildlife wonders

August http://www.facebook.com/petsmagazine

Ever wondered what it

would be like to look after

animals all day, every day?

Mammal and bird keeper

Andrew Daly from the

Australian Reptile Park tells

Lauren Clarke more about

what this job entails.

Working Working

withwith^

animalsanimals

Andrew is a mammal and bird keeper Andrew is a mammal and bird keeper

at the Australian Reptile Park.at the Australian Reptile Park.

PETS: What is your role at the Australian

Reptile Park?

Andrew: I’m a mammal and bird keeper. That

means I look after all the birds and all the

mammals, but it involves so much more, too,

for example cleaning, gardening, researching

diets and other needs for the animals, ordering

food and materials, exhibit design and

maintenance, doing shows and presentations,

customer service and interacting with the

media. A zookeeper is basically 10 or more

diff erent jobs rolled into one.

PETS: What is a typical day for you at work?

Andrew: On a typical day, the fi rst thing I do

is weigh and feed any sick, injured or baby

animals we might have. Then the team will

get together and go on morning rounds

— cleaning all the exhibits and feeding the

animals. The middle of the day is the time

that’s most variable, but there’s always lots

to do — preparing the animals’ food for

the afternoon and next morning, giving

educational talks, cleaning dishes, having

meetings and (my favourite) feeding the

PLF070_pg030-031_Working With Animals.indd 30PLF070_pg030-031_Working With Animals.indd 30 6/19/2017 2:39:41 PM6/19/2017 2:39:41 PM