Junior Zookeeper

During the April School Holidays, two of our keenest animal lovers Charlie and Xander visited Auckland Zoo to try out being a Zookeeper for the day. Arriving before the zoo even opened, the children got to see what goes on behind the scenes with many delivery trucks and cleaners making it a hive of activity!

As part of a group of 10 children, the junior zookeepers got access to some of the enclosures and got up and personal with some amazing animals.

Feeding the elephant feijoas and having their photo taken right next to it was a highlight for Charlie and Xander. Xander wasn't such a fan of shovelling up the rhino poo, which surprisingly ranged from very small bits through to absolutely enormous piles! While cleaning up the enclosure, a passing ostrich surprised Xander by opening its VERY large beak!

Xander learned lots of facts about Blue Tongue Lizards and Charlie about the Bearded Dragon. They both loved sharing their facts with passing visitors to the Zoo. Feeding the meerkats was also a cool experience. The zookeepers gave the children containers with mealworms in them. In partners, they had to work together to insert the little grubs into feeding balls to encourage the meerkats to have to work to get at their food. Charlie enjoyed weighing the baby turtles and checking out how much they had grown. Xander loved seeing the two lion brothers and learning that they slept for up to 20 hours a day! The day at the zoo helped both Charlie and Xander learn more about what is involved in being a zookeeper and they are both as keen as ever on this career possibility!

Well done Charlie and Xander!