Double delight

It was high fives all round after Keepers Adam Davey and Harley Hunt gained their diplomas in animal management.

Adam, aged 27, who works on the big cats and ungulates section and 25-year-old Primate Keeper Harley passed the demanding two-year Diploma in the Management of Zoo and Aquarium Animals (DMZAA) course and their certificates have just arrived.

The Level 3 course is designed for people already working in the zoo community and DZG is keen for all keeping staff to complete it.

The DMZAA is run in partnership with BIAZA (British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums) and Sparsholt College in Hampshire and our own Registrar and Research Co-ordinator, Dr David Beeston, is the Midlands’ regional co-ordinator for the course.

Dr Dave said: “This course really puts keepers’ knowledge of animals to the test and Adam and Harley have both done extremely well.

“They each had to produce a portfolio of evidence of their practical abilities and complete a research study of up to 5,000 words so it was a lot to fit in around their daily animal care duties.”

The course consists of 18 assignments – ten in the first year and eight in the second, which take on average about 30 hours to complete and cover a range of topics including animal conservation, care, nutrition and enclosure design.