Love Your Zoo Week - Keeper Spotlight: Emily, West Section Leader

As part of Love Your Zoo Week, we’re continuing our keeper spotlight series at Noah's Ark Zoo Farm by meeting Emily, West Section Leader. With responsibility for an incredible range of species from big cats to Andean bears and capybara, Emily’s role is as varied as it is rewarding. In this blog, she shares what a typical day looks like on the West section, the challenges and highlights of her career so far, and why her passion for animal care and conservation continues to grow after more than a decade in the industry.

How long have you worked in Zoo keeping?

11 years now! Starting in 2015.

What is your role here at Noah's Ark and what does a typical day look like?

Section Lead Animal Keeper on the West section. We are responsible for Andean bears, coati, African lion, tiger, tapir, capybara, Mara, giant anteater, armadillos and poison dart frogs. Typical day starts at 8am and finishes at 5pm. Duties include feeding, health checking, and lots of enclosure cleaning!

Did you always know you wanted to work with animals, and what first inspired that interest?

I think every person in the animal industry will say their biggest inspiration is Sir David Attenborough. Without him showing the natural world in completely new ways, I don’t think I’d be half as interested as I am now. I’ve always loved animals and finding beauty in everything to do with nature.

What steps did you take to become a Zoo keeper (study, volunteering, first roles)?

I started by studying animal management in college before moving onto university to study animal conservation. During my studies I volunteered as much as I could, starting from catteries and stables when I was under 18 and moving onto zoo volunteering once old enough.

Was there anything that surprised you when you started working in the field?

How resilient you become. Zookeeping is hard work, physically and mentally. It's amazing how your body adapts. There are also some situations which are tough to deal with, for example when an animal is poorly or passes. On a positive note, it really surprised me how much I enjoy spending my day with the animals. 

What skills do you think are most important for zoo keeping?

Zookeeping has a lot of transferable skills. However, if I were to choose a few important ones it would be communication skills, initiative, observation skills and most importantly, a willingness to learn more and do the best for the animals.

What has been one of your biggest challenges?

I have come across loads of challenges throughout my career, some good, some bad. The most challenging part of the job is dealing with animal sickness or death. It's hard to pick yourself back up sometimes.

What has been your proudest or most memorable moment so far?

A highlight career moment for me is when I stationed trained 3 otters I worked with and got them all to present their paws for health purposes. Another is injection training a lion I worked with which meant we could give his annual vaccine via hand injection for the first time. Another highlight was when our bear cubs were born in January 2022. So many highlights it's hard to choose one!

What is the most rewarding part of your job?

 Knowing you're doing the best you can for the animals and continually learning to strive to be better. Achieving a close bond with the animals you work with. The animals will always make me smile!

What conservation message do you hope visitors take away?

The natural world is beautiful; you only have to visit a zoo to understand the variety and differences of species that call this planet home. Seeing, hearing and sometimes smelling these animals without a doubt solidifies a connection to hopefully inspire people to do their bit to protect the planet. Whether that be turning off a light switch when it's not needed, or planting some pollen-friendly plants for insects!

What advice would you give someone wanting to become a Zoo keeper?

Never give up. It's such a hard industry to get into, keep at it. Volunteer and try and set yourself apart from the crowd as much as you can. Get chatting to current zookeepers to see how they got into the field. College courses, university, and internships are all available to help too. Lastly, don't be picky about what species you want to work with when you start. Take whatever job you get a yes to, as it's much easier to start to specialise when you've got some paid experience behind you.

What does working here mean to you?

I love working at Noah's Ark Zoo Farm. I've been here for nearly 6 years. Being outside, enjoying the animals and watching visitors have a great day out fills me with joy. The whole zoo team are very supportive of each other, and that really shows. It means that when I go into work, it doesn't really feel like work. Instead, I know I'll smile, laugh, and have a good time!