When Keeper Josh Luxton attached a camera to a target training stick he didn’t expect our giraffes to come right in for a close up. Inquisitive duo Kubwa and Josie kept reaching for the mini camera with their tongues – which gave Josh chance to make a quick health check and a great video too! … Continue reading Ready for our close-ups!
DZG Head of Birds Nicola Wright has attended a flamingo forum on coping with any future outbreak of avian influenza in the UK. The section leader received a certificate after attending the ABWAK (Association of British and Irish Wild Animal Keepers) Flamingo Keepers’ Workshop on bird biosecurity, hosted by ZSL London Zoo on July 26. … Continue reading Flamingo forum
DZG’s black bear Inca – thought to be the oldest in the world – is doing un-bear-lievably well after sailing through her annual health check. And one of the key factors helping the much-loved 38-year-old’s current fine form is this heatwave, which is doing her joints the world of good. As the oldest Asiatic black … Continue reading Un-bear-lievably well
We’ve got baby news in our birds section where a red-crested turaco chick has hatched. Senior Bird Keeper Ben Vanes has just caught up with the little one to put an identification ring on its leg, but we don’t yet know if it is male or female. The chick, born to our breeding pair in … Continue reading Turaco tot
It was a close shave for DZG’s Icelandic sheep when they lost their woolly fleeces for the summer. Our Curator Richard Brown – helped by Kirsty Thornton, Chris Leeson and Amy Paddock – put his new shears into action to shave off the animals’ thick coats. Senior Keeper Kirsty Thornton said: “It was time for … Continue reading A close shave
Keepers have been getting the measure of creatures down on the DZG Farm – with some new digital scales. Knox, our pygmy hedgehog, a leopard gecko and Pocahontas the guinea pig were first to test out the new scales. Farm Section Leader Lesley Lewis said: “We weigh all our animals monthly as part of their health … Continue reading Tipping the scales!
Keepers caught up with our fascinating naked mole rats to give them health checks and new names. The five hairless mammals – a brand new species to our collection – have all tipped the scales at healthy weights and been given East African names. Our queen naked mole rat – who weighed in at 54g … Continue reading Mole rat medicals
