I have just finished my first week at Woburn Safari Park, Bedfordshire. The park which opened in 1970 is owned by the Duke of Bedfordshire and covers 360 acers. Of this, half of the park is dedicated to the drive through safari with many of the large mammals, including Lions, Tigers, Bears and Giraffes. The second half, where I am currently on placement is called Animal Encounters, a smaller foot safari with a large range of animals from primates and birds to reptiles and sea lions.
One of my favourite animals on the section is the Squirrel Monkeys, Saimiri sciureus. These new world primates live throughout South America, including in the Amazon rainforest. In comparison to any primate they have the greatest brain size to body mass, making them incredibly intelligent. They live in large social groups composed mainly of females, with one dominant male. Within the group the male has the lowest ranking for access to food, meaning he often has to travel away from the group for food. One funny point I have picked up during the week is that the monkeys appear to be very cautious, almost scared of water, which is strange as they often live in rainforests. Along with this a second question the keepers can’t seem to work out is why the monkeys are picking hair out of their tails, with no obvious explanation.
During my time in the Squirrel Monkey enclosure I have had several jobs. I have mainly been cleaning front and back pens, this includes scrubbing shelves walls floors and enrichment and drying them out, removing old food and faces. My responsibilities in this enclosure are also poo picking and cleaning in the external area. One of my favourite jobs however is making enrichment to keep the monkeys entertained and using their intelligence. For this a range of objects can be used; milk bottles, tubing, rope, kids toys etc. One piece of enrichment that was particularly interesting to watch was a large black tray filled with water with plastic balls on top. Despite having food placed in tubs of water before, when placed in the tray, the monkeys seemed very confused starring at it for a long time and attempting to mimic others in the group, still a little unsure. However after having the tray placed in for a few days the monkeys no longer seemed phased by having to reach in to the tray.
In the mornings there are several sections that we can work on. Of these the one I always hope to be on is Capybara, Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris, Red Panda, Ailurus fulgens and Aldabra Tortoises, Aldabrachelys gigantea. At Woburn they have two Red Pandas Mali and Miranda. This species originates from Southeast Asia and the Himalayas but are currently endangered. Weary of people the pair stays mainly in the trees or in the cooler inside area. My jobs in this area are again cleaning and poo picking, but also include collecting and proving bamboo, which is one of the pair’s favourite foods.
Currently there is only one Capybara, James, as the species are relatively new to the park. They are the world’s largest rodent species native to South America. At the moment he is very skittish not even coming inside when a keeper is around. However the arrival of a female in the next few weeks is hoped to build his confidence as capybara are social animals. Like the other species I clean, feed and provide fresh water for him.
There are five Aldabra Tortoises, including Flow, who is the smallest. Mornings in this enclosure require refilling the pool and turning the soil, whilst ensuring the inside is maintained at a warm temperature. This giant tortoise species is found on the island of Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles. When checking them in the mornings the keepers encouraged each individual to perform a pose called ‘filching', which mimics the behaviour of wild tortoises when they stretch out to allow birds to pick off parasites. This is an example of a symbiotic relationship, meaning mutable beneficial. For the tortoise this is the loss of parasites and the birds is the gain of food.
One of the most common morning tasks is fish prep. This is setting up all the feeds for both the penguins and the sea lions. The park has Humboldt penguins, currently with chicks hiding in one of the nests. They are found around the South American coastline and each can be recognized by a unique spot pattern found on their chest. This like the human fingerprint is unique to a single penguin. At Woburn these individuals eat Spratt, but they are quite fussy only eating whole, undamaged fish.
The sea lions at Woburn are Californian. There are currently five sea lions and a pup that was recently named Winnie. The group consists of four females and a male called Gus, who himself is only a few years old himself and shares the same parents as Winnie, mum Kiera and Dad, Max. Strangely he will only eat tails on herring which makes up half the feed, the rest made up of Spratt. According to keepers this is a common theme for young sea lions but they are not sure why. I’m hoping to look in to this at some point.
Alongside these jobs I also do food prep for the majority of species in the section with other odd jobs and tasks that need doing. I have also worked on Lemurs, Meekest, Mongoose, Marmosets, Agouti, Porcupine and farmyard species. This first week has been really enjoyable and I have learnt a lot about the animals. I hope I will find this for the next two weeks also.
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