Blog Archive

Since starting at Adelaide Zoo in December I have been on the Big Cat Round, which I absolutely love. Now I am being trained on the Mixed Carnivore Round which consists of the Sea Lions, Binturong, Dwarf Mongoose, Meerkat and Africa Wild Dog.

Some of you may be surprised the Sea Lions fall under the Carnivore umbrella and may be even more surprised that so do the Giant and Red Pandas, being that they eat fish and bamboo respectively. Well, you don’t have to be a meat eater to fall under the biological Order Carnivora, just possess some key features such as claws and canine teeth.

It is always exciting learning a new round, expanding my knowledge of other animals and how to care for them. I have never worked with African Wild Dog and Dwarf Mongoose (only found at Adelaide Zoo in Australia) so I had to hit the books (and Wikipedia) to get some background knowledge. I do, however, have a background in Marine Biology so am very excited to work with our two Sea Lions, Ady and Tasko. They are also the training and contact animals on the round so I am looking forward to the challenge of working with these cheeky and intelligent animals

Training on a new round involves shadowing a fellow Carnivore Keeper(s) and learning the ins and outs of each animal and their exhibit. The Sea Lions will involve the most training on my part because of their training and having contact with them. Another challenge will be learning the names and faces of our 6 female African Wild Dogs, at the moment they all look the same to me.

Arliah