Going walkabout...

In some workplaces, especially large-scale set-ups like zoos, the departments in which one is not directly involved in seem like a world away, with knowledge in those areas tending to be limited to just the main facts that can be found by a quick internet search. In the zoo, to me anyway, this seems like a problem that is easily solved, so long as zoo personnel are willing to learn during their lunch break. During the course of a working day there is very little time to absorb even a small amount of the information the zoo has to offer due to the amount of work required to keep the place ticking over; cleaning, gardening, feeding etc. I try to spend at least a few lunch times a week wandering around, getting to know the other departments of the zoo, i.e. the animals, enclosures and educational information that they have to offer. A slight worry accompanies this notion though; walking around other sections is all well and good but when a visitor spots a person in a uniform very similar to that of a keeper, all of the questions that have been building up since their last zoo-employee encounter get offloaded.

There is only so much a student from the “Bats and marmosets” section can answer about the personalities and preferences of each individual orangutan before becoming unstuck and explaining that the answer isn’t available but can be acquired from a keeper of that department. I am therefore trying to learn a bit more about Durrell and its inhabitants, little by little. My walkabouts are made a lot more pleasurable by some creative enclosures, which ensure that every animal has numerous opportunities to express natural behaviours. It should also be said that every animal is also able to conceal itself from public view should it wish to, as this ensures privacy and a degree of safety to the animal.

The orangutan enclosure is a favourite enclosure of mine as it is extremely complex, in terms of structures within it, also it is enormous - they even have room to share it with two white-handed gibbons! The enclosure is full of telegraph poles, maybe totalling 30 in number, as well as yards and yards of rope and high-top platforms, one of which Dana, one of the recent mums, is very fond of. Full use is made of their enrichment items (e.g. large paper sacks) and the “Men of the forest” (Indonesian translation of orang-utan) often relocate from one area to another, to either chase the shade or another member of the group! The way in which they are looked after shows that the keepers at Durrell are as passionate about orangs as I am - which I am so glad about. I ran a half marathon in March for Orangutan Appeal UK, which is a small charity based in Hampshire that funds a rehabilitation centre in Sepilok, North Borneo, as well as projects in other areas. I was able to raise over £300 for the charity, thanks again to all of my generous sponsors!

The Asian short-clawed otters are another favourite to visit, they have a medium-sized enclosure but what is found inside is the important part. It contains all a family of otters could ever want, a waterfall, sloping grassy areas into the water and food delivered to their door every single day! The “romp” of otters, as they can be known, are often seen swimming, playing - both in the water and out, and investigating their enclosure.

The Chilean flamingos are beautiful birds and they are extremely sociable, hence why “stands” of them are often found in high densities in captivity. The flock at Durrell are just a stones-throw from the Greater flamingos and have access to a large part of an extremely slow flowing river. They prefer, however, to group in a shallow pool of water designed to replicate the type of area in which flamingos forage for their food using their highly specialised beak and accessory fimbrae which aid in sorting the minute aquatic beings from the water.

I am a third of the way through my 12 week placement now and I still have a lot to learn about the all the animals in the park, not least those kept in the section that I help to look after :) The country-wide heat wave is causing some areas of the bat tunnel to reach 34% humidity and 32°C; home-from-home for its full-time occupants, however, homo sapiens that grew up on the UK mainland are simply not equipped for the conditions in which a two hour cleaning routine must be carried out!