Find out what our keepers got up to at this years ABWAK conference with our very own Zookeeper Pete…

[Pullout] “Every March, the Association of British and Irish Wild Animal Keepers (ABWAK) hosts a zoological conference for its members, in order for them to learn about the latest ideas and up to date husbandry techniques within the industry. This year’s symposium was held at the brilliant Yorkshire Wildlife Park and I was pleased to attend along with two other keepers and my colleagues, Kim and Dan. We not only attended the symposium to learn from other zoo professionals, but to also spread our knowledge and achievements to others.” [/Pullout]

From left – right: Me (Pete) with Dan and Kim attending the ABWAK conference

[Pullout] “Dan is currently a member of the ABWAK council, and as such, spent his weekend helping to organise and run the symposium as well as getting to network, listen to various talks and attend some of the workshops. The workshops are such an important part of the symposium, as it’s where keepers can get more practical, hands-on experience. This year, keeper Kim stepped up and ran not one, but two workshops – focussing on the manufacturing and use of rockwork theming and enrichment in zoos. This proved to be a very popular subject as the workshop places were filled out very quickly, even after the organisers already increased the capacity!” [/Pullout]

Dan is a member of the ABWAK council

[Pullout] “During the workshops, Kim taught other keepers how to use concrete to create a wide variety of natural looking features within animal enclosures, using examples from work she had previously done within some of our own enclosures in the zoo – such as the dwarf crocodile, Burmese python and green iguana exhibits. Hopefully you can look out for these features on your next visit!” [/Pullout]

Kim running a workshop at ABWAK

[Pullout] “Finally, it was my turn to give a talk to over 250 delegates about my experience working with our pride of lions! This mainly focussed on lioness Zahra, who required some dental work last year and therefore needed training to allow for a stress-free anaesthetic injection in order to perform the procedure. I ensured I covered everything –  from the first signs of Zahra’s discomfort, through the training, the operation and finally the (thankfully positive) outcome and aftercare. The talk seemed to be very well received and I’m already looking forward to presenting again!” [/Pullout]

Here I am during my talk on caring for the lions

[Pullout] “Here’s to ABWAK 2024!” [/Pullout]