My experience as a volunteer

Hi, my name is Lisa-Marie. Last year I started volunteering at The Welsh Mountain Zoo in Colwyn Bay. It was the best decision I had ever made. All of my hard work had paid off because, now, I am a trainee keeper at the Welsh Mountain Zoo.

I have learnt so much volunteering. It has been the best experience because I got to feed and care for so many amazing animals that you might only ever dream of getting up close to, such as our Sumatran Tigers and Greek Bears. I got to work with the keepers, learning the dietary requirements, and once I knew what the animals needed, I could feed them myself.

Yeah, sure some aspects of the job involves shovelling poo and throwing bin bags in to the skip. I’m not going to lie to you. But, trust me, it is only a small percent of what you get to do. It’s nothing compared to when you feed a Tiger or the birds of prey. Now, that’s the amazing experience that you need.

Volunteering opens so many doors for you. In my opinion, it is the only way to move up and become a keeper of your own section. Many employers are looking for employees who have experience in a zoo, not always a university degree. Volunteering gave me a huge head start. I’m sure that you think being a volunteer means that you only get to do the bad jobs, like cleaning buckets, but that is far from the truth. You feed animals, enrich their lives, clean their enclosures and so much more. The things you will learn are so valuable.

The keepers are great because they taught me all they know about the animals on their sections, and let me really get involved. I also became friends with them which made volunteering even better. On my first day, everyone was so friendly and the Head Keeper, Peter, showed me around. I was actually quite nervous meeting all of the keepers, but they were great and made me feel very welcome.

Being a volunteer shows your commitment to the animals and the zoo. I was 16 when I first started. I volunteered every Saturday, during college breaks and summer holidays. That was more than enough time to show my commitment but I love the zoo and animals so much. It didn’t take me too long to learn things like what food certain animals could and couldn’t eat, such as the Red Pandas are not allowed citrus fruit. Then you can spend time learning things like the enrichment of animals to make their lives better and the extra bits you need to know. Things like behaviour of certain animals and daily routines are important things to learn.

During my time as a volunteer, I was offered to take part in the Millennium Volunteer Scheme. I still volunteered as normal, but I won a 50 hours certificate, 100 hour certificate and a 200 hour certificate. I now have proof of working in a zoo when I apply for a job. It’s great!

And now I am 17 years old and a Trainee Keeper, which is a big step in the right direction. Because of my time volunteering, learning and showing how much commitment I had, I am being paid to do what I love to do. But, the thing is, I would do it for nothing.

It’s just an amazing experience. If you want to work in a zoo, you definitely should volunteer. I never regretted it. I am living proof that it pays off. And, trust me, you’ll love it!