Volunteer day at the WHF

The WHF, Wildlife Heritage Foundation, is a big cat sanctuary in Kent. Run for the purposes of conservation it is home to a huge array of wonderful cats. On first arriving for my volunteer day I walked past the lion enclosure. 3 mighty males sprawled out and relaxed in the sun. I let out a little gasp. They were amazing.

On signing in for the day we were quickly assigned tasks, I was in the group woodchipping around the tiger enclosure. A few people giggled as we were warned of Bruno's habit of spraying volunteers. We immediately got to work.

Down on my hands and knees at the edge of the enclosure I suddenly heard a shout 'he's gonna spray!' With a little yelp I jumped out of the way, but not fast enough! He had just caught my shoulder, leaving me with the glorious smell of tiger pee for the rest of the day. But not many people can say they got peed on by a tiger!

Shoveling woodchip around may sound basic, but it is seriously hard work, with blisters from wheelbarrows and each shovel of chippings getting heavier it takes its toll. But seeing the new path emerge gives you a great sense of achivement. Plus working alongside big cats is just fantastic.

As the end of the day approached with red raw sunburn and smelling of pee we looked back on our hard work. The enclosure had a beautiful new woodchip path and even with blisters on my blisters it really felt worth it. We had made a difference! If you get the chance I definitely recommend the volunteer day at WHF.

At the end of the day we were given a tour of the cats. From the tiny Pallas cat, to the shy cheetah and even the mischevious tigers, they were all incredible, and here are just a few of my snaps from the day.