Calendar now on sale!
Our 2014 calendar shows why DZG keepers love their jobs.?
Designed and written by Head of Media and Communications Jill Hitchman, with images by Stourbridge photographer Phil Riley, the calendar reveals the fun and frustrations of working with some of the rarest species on the planet for the zoo’s 30 full and part-time animal keepers.
Jill said:?”The calendar is inspired by a recent LANTRA (Sector Skills Council for environmental and land-based industries across UK) video about zoo keeping at DZG, and we wanted to show what inspires our keepers to love what they do, and do what they love.
“Zoo keeping is one of the UK’s most popular jobs and competition for an apprenticeship placement is immensely strong. “There’s no glamour; hours are long, tasks are routine and arduous, plus it’s a smelly and dirty job, much of it done outdoors in all weathers. “But where else would you get so close to the world’s rarest animals, learn their likes and dislikes, give them TLC when they need it and create a bond so close they’re like family? She added: “The months throughout the calendar feature training, enrichment, diet and housekeeping duties and offer a general overview of life behind the scenes at Dudley Zoo and Castle, which is one of the country’s busiest zoos. 
“It’s not all hands-on work; while there is daily contact with members of the public and dealing with visitors’ inquiries, there is also studying to be completed in keepers’ own time, and a handful of senior staff undertake research into our vital conservation programmes.” The calendar endorses the zoo’s work within the 1,300-strong animal collection and proceeds from sales will support DZG’s Madagascar Campaign to help lemur conservation in the wild, a project with which the zoo has been associated for more than a decade. Species featured among the calendar’s pages include Bornean orang utans, Rothschild giraffes, Gelada baboons, Stanley cranes the national bird of South Africa and a rhinoceros iguana, alongside Brazilian tapirs, Humboldt penguins and Santa’s favourite reindeer.
Priced at just £7.99,?DZG’s 2014 calendars are available in the Safari Gift Shop plus online here http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Dudley-Zoo-Calendar-2014-/271299253930?pt=UK_Collectables_Paper_RL&hash=item3f2ab216aa#ht_54wt_1170
See our home page Love What You Do video
