Some of you may remember, I recently took part in a competition run by Worldwide Experience to become the ‘Voice of Conservation‘. I was thrilled to receive first place, and have been awarded an all expenses paid trip to spend two months at the Shamwari Game Reserve in South Africa.

I will be leaving for South Africa on the 27th of September. Here I will be involved with tracking and monitoring the wildlife, which includes the big 5, general maintenance of the reserve, assisting the team hands on at the Shamwari wildlife center, and also helping at the Born Free big cat sanctuary. During my time there I will be sharing my experiences with the community by carrying out daily blog posts, with exclusive video footage and pictures, live updates via facebook and twitter (@KarraRothery), live video streaming direct from the field, and also running competitions.

My daily blog posts can be followed here: http://www.worldwideexperience.com/blog/

I hope this will not only be an adventure for me, but also an opportunity for those following to gain a greater understanding of conservation and the work carried out from the front line. So make sure you bookmark the blog page! =)

I had an incredible send off, with an African themed fancy dress it was a brilliant turn out. Elephants, leopards, lions, giraffe.......and tigers?!? Haha! My work colleague also gave me the most amazing leaving present, a set of incredible binoculars! I have already been spying on the pigeons out the window....next...big cats! Yippie!

My last day of an amazing week, and I am very sad to go! Today I was on the bird section, and I had a brilliant day.

We headed up to Lorikeet lagoon for the morning feed. As soon as you get up close you can hear them singing happily. Charlie sent me in to fetch the empty food and water bowls. I peered inside and could see a dozen brightly coloured rainbow lorikeets, they were absolutely gorgeous. I started gathering their bowls and suddenly felt light feet on my shoulder, a lorikeet was chirping eagerly at me.

We then went into their outside enclosure and began placing down their food. They were so eager that they perched on my bucket and began eating it straight from there! But they were utterly adorable!

Rainbow Lorikeets. Photo by: Opals-on-black.com

Next up was the feeding and cleaning rounds back down in the main zoo. I assisted with the feeding of the penguins, white-naped cranes, great grey owls and the African ground hornbills. With the hornbills, Charlie suggested building a sandcastle and then burying their mealworms inside. Feeling like a kid back on the beach I built my little castle and it was great seeing the hornbill smash it back down searching for food.

The red legged seriema then needed their worming medication, so myself, Charlie and Mel, each armed with a net went into their enclosure. We quickly grabbed one of the babies, and administered the medication. I then had to cling onto the first baby, so the second could be caught, as we would be unable to tell them apart. The adults were also then caught and medicated.

Red Legged Seriema. Photo by: Paulo V. F. Barradas

A photogrophaer then appeared, interested in taking pictures of the moluccan cockatoo chicks. Charlie first enticed the adults outside as otherwise they would attack us if we got near their babies. She then reached inside, and pulled out a miniature cockatoo! After a few piccies she handed the little baby to me so she could get the second chick out. It snuggled into my fleece.....it was absolutely adorable!

Moluccan Cockatoo. Photo by: JunCTionS

As we were heading back to prepare the evening feed for the lorikeets we suddenly got a radio message, browse was available! Browse is animal friendly vegetation, usually from trees cut down on site, and it provides great enrichment for most animals. It was like a stampede! Everyone started running! They all wanted it for their animals. As we got to the site the gorilla keeper already had a huge truck full, and with a big grin on his face made a speedy getaway. But there was tonnes of it, and we filled our little van full to the brim and headed up to the lorikeets.

While I started unloading the browse Charlie went to sort out the blockage in the filtration system. In the process I managed to stab myself in the eye with a stray branch, but I quickly recovered and went to help Charlie with the filtration. Soaking wet and covered in mud, we eventually got it working!

I was sad to say goodbye, Chessington is an incredible zoo, and animal welfare is their priority. Their record of successfully breeding endangered species is incredible, and animals will only breed if they are happy. The enclosures are well kept with plenty of space, and the animals are provided with enrichment every day. They know which animals they are capable of keeping and will not risk keeping any animal that would not remain healthy in their zoo.

If I do ever become a keeper, it will definitely be at a zoo like Chessington.

I am really achey and sore this evening! Today was a lot of manual labour! I will definitely be feeling this in the morning!

First task was to thoroughly scrub down the interior of the squirrel monkey enclosure. Muck was splashed on the platforms, up the walls and even across the window, so every inch needed scrubbing with trigene. As I started scrubbing the monkeys peered inside, inquisitive to see if I had brought them food. Two females appeared with tiny babies on their backs, their little faces peering out. They were adorable.

Squirrel Monkey. Photo by: mape_s

We then cleaned out the spider monkeys, I filled 5 huge bags with wet, smelly straw, which we then carried round to the bins. Unfortunately I managed to pick the wettest bag, and after carrying this over my shoulder, found it leaked all down my back and on my legs. Yuck! I quickly forgot about it when I watched Maz feeding the spider monkeys, two huge crates of fresh fruit and veg, they quickly got stuck in.

Spider Monkey. Photo by: Ivan Mlinaric

Most of the afternoon was spent gardening, and it was hard work! Maz was creating her own 'bamboo garden' as the gentle lemurs loved eating it. We began by planting one row of bamboo plants in an already dug ditch. Easy enough. But then Maz suggested digging another ditch for a second row. I was determined to tackle this task. But the ground was literally clay, and I managed to get half way before its started to rain. But I was thankful. Any more and I may have collapsed into a heap!

I then went and helped Maz prepare the fruit and veg. She was like a chopping machine! She then made a 'gourmet plate' for the squirrel monkeys and red handed tamarins. Cooked noodles, biscuits, mealworms and a special 'tamarin cake'. They ate better than I did! Maz carried out the gourmet plate, a waitress for monkeys! As soon as it was down they made a beeline for the cooked noodles. They loved it!

We then went round to feed the gentle lemurs, I peered into the enclosure and was thrilled to see the newborn baby clinging onto mum. They had been worried as yesterday they kept finding the baby on the floor, and a stillborn twin had been found later that evening. But today everything looked well. Baby was moving around and mum looked content.

Gentle Lemur. Photo by: Jon Mountjoy

Tomorrow is my last day, and I will definitely be sad to go, but I have Shamwari to look forward to in just over a week! For those of you who want to follow my journey make sure you keep an eye on the blog over at Worldwide experience. I am currently running a twitter contest so make sure you enter!

http://www.worldwideexperience.com/blog/win-a-copy-of-born-free-by-joy-adamson

I eagerly rushed in this morning, I would finally get to see what it would be like as a big cat keeper! I was quickly put to work....window cleaning....

I peered into the enclosures as I started washing the outsides but not much was happening. The tigers had been taken indoors and the lions were lazing around at the top part of their enclosure. I moved round to the leopard enclosure and I could see one of the youngsters crouched low behind the rockery just out of view. I focused on my task at hand, trying to prevent streaks is not easy! Suddenly out of no-where the leopard pounced up at the glass. I jumped out of my skin! She had shown her amazing stalking skills and caught me out! It just goes to show how these stunning animals are such effective predators.

Persian Leopard. Photo by: Just Chaos

Next I was taken round to the back of the tiger enclosure. The tigers had been brought inside so we could access their main area. To see such an incredible animal up close is amazing. The tigers make a 'chuffing' noise, their vocal way of saying 'hello'. To hear a tiger chuffing click here. Adam was already in the main area cleaning out the pond, so I went round and picked up any poop and cleaned the insides of the windows. We then got to work cleaning the insides of the leopard enclosure, washing the floors and replacing the sawdust.

Now it was feeding time for the tigers. Each animal has a slab of meat with a specific weight. I went and hid one under a bush and the other was hung over a tree branch. Safely back out of the enclosure the tigers were let loose. They quickly found their meaty treats and began devouring them.

Sumatran Tiger. Photo by: Brimack

The afternoon was feeding and enrichment time for the rest of the animals. The leopards were first for their feed, when they were safely shut away the meat was placed around their enclosure while I did a quick poop check. They were then let loose. Kalaf, the male, went straight to the meat hidden in a tyre. He attempted to pick it up but it was jammed in so tight that the wheel lifted up with it. So instead he just sat there eating out of the tyre as though it was a plate! Adam suggested giving him a knife and fork to go with it........

Next up were the lions. With out bucket of meat in hand we went round to their enclosure. As soon as we got close Ashok, the male, charged straight towards us, letting out a huge hungry growl and leaping up at the side of the enclosure. We quickly got to work hiding their food. One under a pile of rocks the other under a wood pile. Kalinga quickly found hers under the log pile but Ashok searched around for 5 minutes before he picked up the scent. He discovered the rock pile and immediately plunged in, but the task was not easy, and took at least another 5 minutes trying to dig out his meat.

Asiatic Lion: Photo by: Brimack

Also on this section were a family group of Binturong (I have fallen in love with these guys) and I had the opportunity to hand feed them. Their peaceful nature means they will easily take food from your hand. We then tracked down some enrichment for these gorgeous animals. Today it would be 'sensory'. Adam searched through a box full of different scents and pulled out a sugary/vanillary perfume. It smelt so sweet it could have been good enough to eat. As soon as he had squirted a branch the Binturong immediately started sniffing the air, but they quickly retreated to the top most platform of their enclosure! They were obviously not as impressed as we had been!

I had a fantastic day on the carnivore section and loved every minute of it! It is so incredible to work alongside these animals. To be able to watch them act so relaxed and display such an amazing array of natural behaviours is just amazing.

Tomorrow I am on the primate section, a baby lemur was born today so should hopefully provide me with some great excitement!

Today I joined the Children's Zoo team. My first thought was the typical goats, pigs and rabbits, but I was surprised to find they also cared for the animals in the Wanyama Village. This African reserve, home to meerkats, porcupines, zebra, oryx and many more, is where I spent most of my day.

First task was the morning feeds and cleans. Here I was introduced to the capybara, the largest living rodent in the world. They look like huge guinea-pigs with long legs, and if you know me well you will know guinea-pigs have always held a place close to my heart. The capybara are not shy animals, and will happily sit next to you taking food from you hand. The youngsters were even brave enough to sniff my bright blue wellies, which they seemed to be rather interested in!

Capybara. Photo by: Robert Verzo

Also living with the Capybara were a group of mara, and here I was introduced to Stig. Stig had been hand reared so his nature was much more tame than his very nervous family. As we brought over his food he was eagerly sniffing at the door waiting for us.

We then headed on down to the Porcupines, and Jon told me about their unusual and very terrifying sound they make! As we entered their house I was surprised at just how large they are, with their huge quills standing on end they look like very intimidating animals! As Jon got close they started shaking their quills, making a noise very similar to that of a rattlesnake, but then they erupted into a chorus of noise. I jumped out of my skin. The rattling was immense, loud booming vocal noises. It would definitely be enough to send any predator on its way!

Crested Porcupine. Photo by: Drew Avery

We finished off the final cleans, which included the meerkats, agouti, dwarf mongoose and chipmunks, and then started on the food prep. This was a task and a half! The capybara alone eat two huge buckets of fruit and veg, twice a day! Armed with a knife and list I got to work chopping their food into bite size chunks. Jon was then eager to tell me how much he loved the smell of parsnips, but when I gave it a sniff all I could smell was earthy raw vegetable. Yuck. So I dared him to eat this lovely smelling raw parsnip. He chopped a chunk off and popped it into his mouth. A few munches and he quickly screwed up his face and made a dash for the bin. It was hilarious! I had put him off his favourite veg for life!.....Well.....he definitely wouldn't be eating it raw again anyway!

In the afternoon we revamped a couple of enclosures with more sand, and here I got to meet Charlie, a hand reared meerkat. He eagerly rushed up to the door and Jon quickly scooped him up. He loved having his belly tickled and playfully nibbled on his fingers. Then he passed him across to me. He was absolutely adorable, with soft fur and a cute little nose, you couldn't help but fall in love!

Meerkat. Photo by: davidhc

I also got to meet a red squirrel, some very cheeky skunks, a couple of noisy pigs and some naughty goats. I am very excited for the adventure to continue tomorrow....I am on the carnivore section! Yippie!!!

So an exciting first day of my work experience week as a Zoo Keeper. As soon as I arrived I was assigned to presentations. I was a little put off with the idea at first, as I don't agree with making animals perform, but as I learnt more about it I came to understand it wasn't a bad thing. The animals aren't made to perform unnaturally, but instead are encouraged to perform natural behaviours, such as flying, climbing and foraging. These are then used to educate the public, so they are able to understand more about these amazing animals and encourage them to contribute to their conservation.

We headed on down to the Macaws, Parrots and Kookaburra. These birds are absolutely gorgeous. We got straight to work cleaning up their mess and changing their water. They are use to human contact so they are easy enough to handle. We also provided them with enrichment, food hidden inside different objects to encourage natural foraging. The Macaws were given a box filled with shredded paper and they immediately got to work digging out their yummy food. I also had the opportunity to help with their training. Meg took the Curly, the Amazon Parrot outside and we stood about 10 metres apart. I called his name and put my arm out and he flew across to me. He was rewarded with yummy fruit and seeds.

Blue Winged Kookaburra. Photo by: aussiegall

I also had the opportunity to help out with some of the mammals used in the presentations. They have a female Binturong named Ezzy. Meg encouraged me to smell her fur, at first I was a little puzzled by the idea, but when I gave her a sniff I realised why, she smelt of popcorn! Her scent glands emit a pleasant odour, unlike most of the animal kingdom! We also gave her a box filled with shredded paper for foraging and she quickly stuck her nose inside to search out the tasty treats.

Binturong. Photo by: greenchartreuse

We then started on the Coatis, these little animals have the most curious noses. They stick up in the air and can rotate 60 degrees! I was given the opportunity to come up with a unique enrichment for these little guys. I came up with the idea of creating little material pouches of food tied with string and then hung up. We set them up in their enclosure and let them in. They went straight for the pouches and immediately began exploring them. It took them at least 5 minutes to work out how to get in and then they started ripping at them with their sharp claws. Meg was thrilled, normally they take 2 seconds ripping into a box, but this had given them a challenge!

A Coati. Photo by: wwarby

I also had the opportunity to help with the lemurs, meerkats and rats. It was a fabulous start to the week and I cant wait to go back tomorrow!

I have now been volunteering at Wildlife Aid for an entire year, so its time to look back on some of my highlights......

When i first started, the hospital was very quiet, during the winter months few patients are admitted, so us volunteers had to find a new way to amuse ourselves...take for example this unsual patient we made up a home for......

A gorgeous lapwing was admitted to the hospital, and I was the lucky person who had to dig up worms for it in the rain! He let out an almighty chirp and began immediately tucking in!

The first orphans of 2010 were Twit and Twoo, two fluffy owlets. It was an incredible experience helping to raise these babies. They were successfully hand reared and then released.

The orphans soon began flooding in, and I immediately stepped up to become an orphan feeder. Holding a tiny fox cub in your arms is one of the most amazing feelings I have ever felt. they are utterly gorgeous.

I had never seen a Little Owl before, so you can imagine my shock when I peered into the cage and this curious face was peering back! This young Little Owl had come in with broken ribs, and his head was twisted in an unusual way. Unfortunately after a month of trying to nurse him back to health he was put to sleep. I had become so attached to him, and it was upsetting news. We did however successfully release 5 more Little Owls that had come in at around the same time.

My first rescue, down in a smelly, wet weir, I successfully managed to rescue 5 little ducklings and reunite them with mum! Ahhhhhh!

Baby mice have become my speciality at Wildlife Aid, tiny furry babies that are impossible not to fall in love with! Unfortunately they are hard to rear to adulthood and since Ive been there only two have made it, but I was thrilled to be given the task of releasing them.

My experience at Wildlife Aid has been amazing, there have been ups and downs but I will always remember the joy my volunteering has given me! =)