In 1997 I relocated to North Devon from Birmingham (although originally born and bred in North West London) with my 10 year old son and my adopted cat Daisy in tow. I visited the area every year to see my father who had established Combe Martin Wildlife & Dinosaur Park in the ‘80’s (see blog 1) It was lovely to live nearer to my father and I had also fallen in love with the wildlife park and its stunning valley. As an animal lover it was also a dream come true to be close to so many wonderful animals and I was able to fulfil my dream of working with them. 

I had worked in advertising sales for many years, wearing suits with the obligatory shoulder pads, high heels and a face full of makeup, so becoming a primate keeper was a massive learning curve for me. It felt rather strange to be lumbering around in cargos and waterproofs clearing up the ablutions of primates. I was probably the only primate keeper that initially carried a mirror and lipstick in her pocket! That soon went by the wayside. 

The role of a keeper is diverse. The first thing a keeper does in the morning is carry out a head count; making sure that all animals are safely in their enclosures. Then all enclosures are cleaned, inside and out, water changed and breakfasts given. Primates have four meals a day so there is a lot of food preparation and strict diets to adhere to. Keepers devise enrichment items or scatter feed around enclosures for animals to forage, making it more interesting for them. 

A keeper needs to have excellent observational skills. Animals often mask pain, so getting to know the animals in your section and watching out for any behavioural changes is really important. Various health checks are carried out throughout the day, and fecal samples are regularly screened to check for any health conditions. 

Everything needs to be recorded in the section diary which is then transferred to our online record system. Back then, in the dark ages, we had record cards.

The primates taught me valuable lessons. I remember a male SakI Monkey called Orinocho who had a passion for sunflower seeds; so I kept some in my pocket when I cleaned the Saki enclosure as a treat for him. After doing this many times, Orinocho expected this treat and he would dive into my pocket straight away as soon as he saw it was me. Noticing his behaviour was becoming rather dominant, I decided to stop doing it. Orinocho pulled at my pockets and pulled my hair, demanding his sunflower seeds! I carried on calmly sweeping up the debris in his enclosure. Frustrated, he peed on my head for attention. He still didn’t get any sunflower seeds but it taught me a valuable lesson.

Primates all have their individual smells. I particularly loved the muskiness of the lemurs and it didn’t matter how much I scrubbed my hands I could still smell their scent on me. Not that I minded; I would sniff my hands with fondness!

Zebedee was nearly 30 when he passed away, having been in my life for over 27 years. I must admit that I held him in my arms for an hour, crying my eyes out. I was devastated. Normally if an animal dies there are strict regulations to follow, but Zebedee was so special to me that I telephoned DEFRA asking for permission to have him individually cremated so that I could keep his ashes here. After holding a big meeting, DEFRA came back to me and gave me permission. However there were only two crematoriums in the UK they would allow me to take him to. Luckily one of them happened to be in South Devon and Zebedee’s ashes remain in our office to this current day!

Over the years my role in the park has changed to learn every aspect of the business. Accounts and wages, advertising, marketing and PR, catering, customer relations, zoo licensing legislation, animal welfare, DEFRA regulations, education, health and safety, retail purchasing, maintenance …there are so many aspects of running this place. Zoos are also the highest regulated businesses in the UK, and so they should be!