With my last week done I just have one single day left tomorrow. It has been a great month and has allowed me to have new experiences, right down to the last couple of days. The most exciting part of this week has been getting to work in the Discovery Zone, where I hadn’t been before. There are a lot of different species in this area including a Boa Constrictor, Central Bearded Dragons Pogona vitticeps, Madagascar Hissing Cockroach Gromphadorhina portentosa, Golden Mantella Frogs Mantella aurantiaca and more. In this section there are three key jobs to ensure the welfare of all the species. The first and most obvious is feeding, particularly with the Bearded Dragons that eat must have a set number of crickets in the morning. Second, the current, maximum and minimum temperatures/humidity, for each species tank or enclosure, must be recorded to ensure they stay around the optimums. Finally, specific species must have their tanks sprayed with water, to keep their environment moist.
This week I have also had a lot more farmyard shifts. This area has a several species including Pigmy Goats Capra aegagrus hircus, Somali Black Headed Sheep Ovis aries, Chickens, a Kunekune Pig Sus scrofa scrofa kunekune, Abyssinian Donkeys Equus asinus and a Shetland Pony Equus ferus caballus. Whist working here there are a couple of individuals with very distinct characters. Out of the donkeys Choco is normally the first one people learn as she is happy to chase anyone with food. In the sheep, there is a new lamb named Bert, who is beginning to resemble his dad, and of course is very cute. Within the goat group, Morgan, is the most dominant and largest having the greatest control. Everyone moves out of her way. Even her son Rocco stays out of her way, but when she’s getting in to trouble he is normally close behind. Whilst this goes on Patch, and often his sidekick Dill, two of the Pigmy Goats, like to get a front row view. Patch often even attempts to get involved but always quickly returns to his watching post.
The most asked question when working in this section is are the goats, particularly Gollum, is ‘are they pregnant?’ However the bulging shape of the Pigmy Goat belly is due to their small size. Because of this, their organs have rearranged outwards. As they eat, digestion causes a swelling pushing the belly outwards even more. It is the shape caused by these factors that make them appear pregnant.
Another common question that keepers are asked is about the origin of Kunekune Pigs, of which the park just has one, a female called Oscar. The pigs are in fact from New Zealand, and are a domestic breed. As a species with very little meat it can be difficult at first to see the benefit of farming the pigs; however as a grazing species they provide nutrient rich manure. Therefore the manure is the reason many farmers buy and breed the species.
The final section I have been on over the entire time is the Wallaby Walkway. Red-necked/ Bennets Wallabies Macropus rufogriseuse and Greater Rhea Rhea americana can be found in this section, although both are frequently mistaken for other species. With a lot of people calling wallabies kangaroos but there are a few key differences. The clearest difference is size, as kangaroos can be twice the size of wallabies, but colour can also show the difference. Wallabies, particularly those like the Red Necked, have a much brighter coloured coat than the Kangaroo.
As for the Rhea, many people call them an Ostrich or occasional Emu. All three are ratites, but come from different geological locations. The Ostrich is found in Africa, south of the Arabian and Saharan deserts. It is the biggest of the three birds, but one of the easiest ways to spot if it is an ostrich is that it is the only bird with just two toes. Opposing, both Rhea and Emus have three toes on each foot. The bigger of these two is the Emu, from Australia weighing around 140 pounds. This leaves the Rhea, the smallest at just 50-80 pounds and originating from South America.
With this being my last full week, this is my last weekly post. However I am hoping to keep the What I Learned at Woburn series going with occasional posts. These will mainly focus on behavioural questions I have picked up on from keepers. However my first post will focus on the elephants at Woburn as I will be meeting and learning about them on my last day, organised by the section keepers as I displayed a particular interest in them.
댓글