Durrell Diaries: International Zookeeper Day

In the second instalment of Durrell Diaries and to mark International Zookeeper Day, Senior Bird Keeper at Jersey Zoo, Sam Atherton, shares what it is like to care for a range of endangered avian species each day. 

I joined Durrell as a student in September 2017 and was fortunate to get a job in the bird department in June 2018. I’m currently a senior bird keeper, where I’m involved in the captive breeding of endangered species whilst maintaining a high standard of welfare for our animals. I also support Durrell’s overseas projects by applying my skills as a keeper to our in situ captive breeding projects. 

Here in Jersey the bird department is made up of two teams; Softbills and Wetlands. I’m based in Softbills; a team focused on South-East Asian songbirds, with ‘Wetlands’ looking after our wetland species from Africa and Madagascar. Working with such a diverse group of animals keeps each day exciting. 

Today my day started at 7:45, with the first vital job of making a coffee…  

Then as a team we prepared all the food for our animals. With over 500 birds of different species, there is a tremendous variation across the food dishes that we make up. Fresh food daily is crucial for any animal, so this is an essential start to each day. 

Once the food was prepared, we undertook our morning checks. We count and visually check each bird, provide fresh water and feed them during this time. We also do basic cleaning and water plants as we go.  

This was an exciting week for the team as we collected three species of duck from a UK zoo. All new arrivals need to go through a quarantine period, so today was my first chance to see them - I always look forward to meeting new birds. Imports aren’t a common occurrence, so these ducks are a great example of how every day is different – one of the best parts of being a zookeeper. We also recently had a pink pigeon who was unwell, so we moved him to an inside area for medication and closer monitoring. Today I took our vet to give him a final health check as his course of medication ended and fortunately all was well, and he had the go ahead to go back to his main aviary. This was the highlight of the day for me, both knowing he is healthy and able to go back to his home.  

A range of external factors can alter our daily routines, so us keepers need to stay adaptable on the fly. There were high winds predicted this evening so I spent extra time assessing the structural integrity of each aviary and making sure there were no loose items that could cause damage overnight. 

The final task of the day was checking the birds once more, cleaning around the food dishes and removing any food that is accessible to pests. This end of day cleaning is essential as although the mice that come out when the lights are off might be quite cute, they can carry diseases that are easily transmitted to our birds.  

This article was originally printed in the Jersey Evening Post on Friday 4 October.