Hi Steemit!
I am so excited to join you all and make new friends! I was recommended to join by a fellow member and sister in law @april-eliza so let me first introduce myself my name is Rachael, I am 30 years old from the UK. Originally from the north of England I moved to the South back in 2015 to not only to be with my partner but also to start my dream job working as a zookeeper.
As a child like most of us I always wanted to work with animals but never knew what it was I wanted to do, I was always called the pied piper by my family due to how animals responded to me. I took up many different roles from the age 11 such as a stable hand, professional groom for a top show jumper, dog walker, kennel maid before I left and animal industry and went into a supervisor waitressing role at Chiquitos, then retail roles at Woolworths, Jessops and finally at Three Mobile before I bit the bullet and went for a voluntary position at the Zoo. After 3 months experience I was incredibly lucky to be offered a full time paid position and I owe that to my vast experience with working with the public from a young age.
What animals do I work with?
My animals are not category A animals (those are the most dangerous animals in the zoo) or even B for that matter, I work with domestic stock as well as some exotic species right down in the D to F categories. We hold every taxa on our section so birds, mammals, fish, hoof-stock, reptiles and invertebrates ranging from goats and sheep to rainbow lorikeets birds and snakes to small critters such as roaches and millipedes, we are very diverse but safe! I have been a keeper now for coming up to 3 years and I am a qualified Keeper; I am also doing the zoo qualification paid for by my employer... it’s hard!
We are told to not have favourites or to become attached to our animals and I can tell you that it is completely impossible, you work so closely with these animals, learning their behaviour, changing their environment to improve their welfare, provide them with their favourite enrichment and train them that if something goes wrong you won’t go home at the end of the day or even sleep.
My favourite animal who will feature a lot in my posts is Basil a two and half year-old Pygmy goat. I have been training him since he was 3 months old and we have a lot of fun performing in demonstrations for visiting school groups as well as public demonstrations. We do all our training out where the public are walking about as I find it the perfect setting knowing that he will only focus on me and it helps his concentration. He’s a very intelligent goat, he has learnt the sound of my keys, he is the only goat that knows his own name and he knows my voice so as soon as he hears me he starts calling and chasing me around until I take him out for training. Basil is one of those animals that just steals your heart, I couldn’t be without him I hope you can’t be without him too!
I know that there are people out there who have a huge dislike for zoos and even to this day call their enclosures cages. Animals are no longer taken from the wild in fact there are laws against it unless the group of animals are to become extinct and intervention is needed. The animals in zoos these days are the result of the illegal pet trade and are rescues or descendants from those who were brought into zoos over 50 years ago. I hope by following me you will see a completely different side to zoos from the heart of the people who work with these animals and what we do day in and day out. I will do regularly posts about my zookeeping life and I am happy to answer questions that you may have.
Hobbies and interests:
I am a massive believer in The Secret and have been practising the techniques for around 3 years though my family say I’ve been doing it my whole life without realising. The laws of the universe are simple, whatever you want you can have you just have to think it, believe it and receive it. I owe these laws to my dreams coming true, it has fully changed my life and also my wish list that I’ve had to update regularly... not complaining! I am hoping I will be able to connect with others who follow the laws of the universe.
I love to horse ride, I have been riding since I was 3 however I don’t come from an affluent family, my mum took me to friends who had horses and then when I was 11 I began to work every Saturday for my rides. When I was 18 I got my first horse called Kelly, she taught me a lot about animal training and horse care/ first aid. Then at 22 I got my second horse Holly who I rescued from the meatman and she was incredible. I will do a post about them separately as they were two of the most amazing animals I have met.
I am passionate about photography and taking pictures mainly of animals. All the photographs you will see on my Steemit are my own either taken on my canon SLR or simply on my iPhone 6s! My Instagram features heavily on the animals I work with and my daily life. I always strive to take the perfect shot and share it whether it be a landscape or an animal in my life I always want quality.
Like most people I like music, chart music is probably my favourite but I’ve grown a love for trance music in particular Above & Beyond, I went to my first rave on the 4th November 2017 to see them at the o2 arena it was AMAZING.
I love to travel; my favourite country so far is Norway that I have visited twice now to two different parts. It is such a stunning country and the snow, well I’ve never seen snow like it. I am due to visit New York in January which was my 30th birthday present and hopefully New Zealand the middle of the year.
I am sometimes asked what my favourite animal is (other than Basil) that’s a hard question when you work with such a broad range of species. I absolutely love Rhinos these creatures are just magical and take your breath away when you get so close to them if anyone has ever met one you would completely agree. I suppose though my favourite animal has to be a fox, how they have adapted to live alongside us is amazing, they are a stunning species to look at with the most ridiculous reputation. Native wildlife is incredible, we should preserve it not try and eradicate it. I love to camera trap them and see what they get up to around my house. Currently we have 4 foxes visiting us now, I will do a post about them sometime when I have more footage and photographs to show.
Current pets:
I can’t live my life without having something at home to cuddle (other than the other half!) when it’s been a bad day. We have a bearded dragon called Spyro who is 2 and half years old okay not very cuddly but nonetheless she is amazing, a marine fish tank that has a number of different fishes in, and two rescue rabbits Harvey and Herbert (Herbie for short) who are not even 6 months old yet. I’m sure sometime in the future there will be more animals mainly because I can’t help myself when I see an animal in need.
Now that you know a little bit about me and my life I hope that you will enjoy my blog, be inspired and chase your dreams just like I did even later in life, it is NEVER too late.
Here’s what happens when you try and do your intro photograph with your favourite animal….
The First time he has ever run from me.. Yes he did eat it!
In the end I gave up allow my birds to instead introduce me..
Looking forward to chatting to you all!
This Knight reckons this is one top intro Rachael. SirKnight has never come across a Zookeeper on Steemit before.
Whilst SirKnight does not not share your affinity for animals (beside from a dog named Defender), he is certainly pleased that there are people out there like you to care for them.
Good luck in your Steemit career Rachael and in your career at the Zoo. The two might blend quite well too.
Resteemed and upvoted.
SirKnight
Thank you for the thoughtful post! Hopefully you may enjoy my future posts about my animals and my job!
Welcome! Hope to see more zoo stories from you :)
Thanks! I hope you enjoy them !
Welcome to Steem Community @amavi! As a gentle reminder, please keep your master password safe. The best practise is to use your private posting key to login to Steemit when posting; and the private active key for wallet related transactions.
In the New Steemians project, we help new members of steem by education and resteeeming their articles. Get your articles resteemed too for maximum exposure. You can learn more about it here: https://steemit.com/introduceyourself/@gaman/new-steemians-project-launch
Thank you for the advice I shall take note!
Hello, you are welcome to steemit!!! I give you upvote to your post
Thanks!!
Welcome sistah😄
Hey and thank you!
I am normally not a huge fan of zoos, but it is reassuring to see zookeepers like yourself caring about the animals and keeping them safe as well as befriending them! Welcome to Steemit! Heres a follow, cant wait to see more zoo stories!
Hey Mike, Thank you so much for a follow, I really hope you enjoy my stories about my keeping life and especially the stories about those crazy little creatures that make my day super special.. Especially Basil :D
That is amazing! I would love to work in a Zoo, what a cool job. Look forward to hearing more!
Hey @Ladybexxa Its a fantastic but very tiring job! I have just written a post about my day today hopefully you will enjoy it :D
Welcome @amavi, i hope we can succees together.
thanks! Hope you enjoy my posts :)!
Hey fellow Brit, welcome to Steemit! Good luck here!
Hey! Thanks! Hope you enjoy my future posts :D
Hi @amavi, nice meeting you, welcome to steemit :) Great intro post, look forward to hearing more about your work in the zoo! Best of luck here on steemit :)
Hi! Nice to meet you too! I really hope you enjoy them as much as I will love to write about them!
Welcome to steemit :-)
Hi! thank you for the nice welcome!
Welcome to the new family @amavi, you have a great work. :)
Hi! Thankyou! Hopefully you will enjoy my future posts about my job and the wonderful animals I work with :)
Of course
wait your best post here :)
Hi! Nice to meet you too!😊😊😊
Hi! Its lovely to meet you too! :D
Hi @amavi! I love animals, too. Glad to see people out there dedicating themselves to helping them.
I just did a contest post yesterday "Tell me something I don't know". You probably have lots of fun facts about animals. I suggest checking my blog for the contest and participating (or I can link you to it if you don't mind me link dropping in your comments). Contests are a good way to get your name out there to more people, plus you could win some fantastic prizes!
Oh thank you! I will have a look and a think for a good fact and participate!
I will follow you :D
this is a great intro post! welcome to steemit, keep sharing and keep exploring....
If you would like your posts to be resteemed by @ocd to reach a bigger audience, use the tag #ocd-resteem. You can read about it here.
Yes sure sounds great, Thankyou! Ill be sure to use the tag often!
I was about to nominate your post for @ocd, but it seems to be getting the appreciation and votes it deserves. keep up the good work, and hope you have an exciting journey!
Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy my blog in the future :D
Welcome to steemit and a great introduction post. Bearded dragons are awesome.
We had some foxes around our house, but unfortunately, we're assuming they got one of our outdoor pets. Thankfully, they have seemed to move on from where they were living.
Ah it does happen, but you have to remember they are just trying to live, im sorry to hear you lost a pet that way. We have just designed a fox proof home for our two bunnies!
Beardies are the best pets!
I hope you enjoy my future posts :D
Hope so!
Yeah, we realized it's part of the circle of life. Another thing we discovered is what a fox "bark" sounds like and that's pretty creepy/scary.
Oh it is, it sounds like a woman being murdered its proper freaky! When I first heard it I nearly called the police haha!
Hello, you are welcome to steemit!!! I give you upvote to your post and remember to follow me as a friend to help you grow in this social network!
Hi! I will do thank you!
Great intro post. Welcome to Steemit @amavi. My sister was a zookeeper for a bit, in the North of England (we are in Yorkshire...god's own country!!)
Do come and check out @minnowMentor is a free service for all newbies and minnows, and dedicated to helping and answering any questions you may have, as well as helping you get around the platform. Come by the discord channel anytime, or just post using the #minnowmentor tag.
Hey! oh was she? What animals did she work with? Sad to hear shes no longer a keeper though. However it stays with you forever. I will do for sure thankyou for the advice. Yorkshire Wildlife Park is one of my favourite places, I hope you have visited if not you need to go see those stunning bears!
Hello again :) thank you for following me.
I think we have a lot of things in common, like almost everything :) . By the way, I used to go to raves before when I was younger and I loved Above and Beyond!
Hey again, haha that’s amazing my first rave was an experience to say the least 😁
Hello, you are welcome to steemit!!! I give you upvote to your post and remember to follow me as a friend to help you grow in this social network!
Thank you and have done!
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STOPThank you!
Welcome to Steemit!! It's great to see a keeper on here - I worked at the San Francisco zoo for 8 years helping take care of mostly raptors and smaller animals (though an eclectic bunch). While I didn't end up pursuing zookeeping it's close to my heart and I still have a passion for education and conservation.
I hope you enjoy your time here on one of the most unique communities on the internet!
Thank you! Nice to see a fellow keeper! I hope people enjoy my stories :)! Hoping to visit the states and their amazing zoos in the next few years :)
San Diego Zoo is definitely the must-see zoo of the states - start there! :D
haha yes I would love to visit San Diego Zoo. The first American Zoo I will have the privilege of visiting will be Central Park Zoo in January! I am very excited :D
Yes! That is a good one too- though very small haha
Hi amavi! Welcome to steemit. I'm also a newbie here😊 keep sharing
Hey! Thank you! Welcome to you too :)!
Every Sunday my 3 year old son and I are fascinated at the Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City, Utah. Your career choice is of the most noble of professions. You are the voice and protector for these precious animals and allow us a few rare glimpses into their lives. Wish you everything!
What lovely words thank you, hopefully you’ll enjoy my stories :)
welcome to steemit. i hope yhu enjoy your stay
Hey and thank you :)
welcome to steemit @amavi , it is hard to be a zookeeper?
Hi and thank you @marlon82 it is very physically and mentally challenging being a zookeeper so I would say yes, it’s also not easy to get into the industry. That said it’s probably the most rewarding job I have ever had and it keeps me very busy day in day out. I hope by following me you will enjoy my stories of being a keeper and may chase your dreams like I did :)!
yes, I do! keep posting , Ive learned a lot from you, more animals to show. and your most welcome @amavi
What an amazing and fascinating introduction. I had the pleasure to work with a private rescue of large cats (panthers, cougars, servals, Lynx, snow leopards) for some time and enjoyed their power and beauty. While there are varied opinions of zoos, the ones I've visited (often) seem to do an excellent job creating comfortable enclosures, educating people about the animals and conservation issues, and working tirelessly at helping with breeding programs and other medical issues that extend to the wild populations. It is so exciting that you have a chance to work with such beautiful and interesting creatures and to be part of making their lives healthy and fun while bringing the mysteries of the world to those who might not normally have a chance to see them and observe their behaviors. The most thrilling and tragic experience I got to participate in with a zoo was assisting in the euthanasia of a very sick, old polar bear. After she was set free of her suffering, we collected blood and other tissues for research to better understand her condition and the physiology of polar bears in general. Being in such close proximity to such a monstrous animal was intimidating and inspiring. We have such little awareness of the beautiful and magnificent creatures with whom we share our little rock in space.
What a wonderful post thank you. Euthanasia is the hardest part of our job and lives and no matter what it’s incredibly heartbreaking. Amazing they used her tissues for research that in turn will help wild bears. I hope that you will enjoy my future posts of my keeping life :)
I know I will. While I deal with the more mundane and pedestrian pet population, I will think of you and enjoy your wild life!
Congratulations @amavi!
Your post was mentioned in the hit parade in the following category:
Amazing! Thank you !
Welcome to Steemit, Rachael. Glad to have you here. I would love to read more from you and I would definitely love to hear more about your horses too. Keep sharing more. Thanks for sharing the beautiful pictures. Keep Steeming.
Hi thank you for the warm welcome! I will certainly post about the girls at some stage! Hope you will enjoy my posts :)
I will definitely look out for your future post. :)
Hi!
Just wanted to pop by and say YOU ARE AMAZING , thank you for thinking about all animals :) Wish you everything the best !!!!
oh wow, thank you! I am just about to upload my next post! I hope you enjoy it! :D
hi @amavi! i love animals! especially dogs! i just want to say a huge welcome to this wonderful community of steemit and i look forward to more of your posts regarding animals. :)
Hi and thank you! I will post daily :)!
Wow, what a fantastic job you have. I'm a nursing student and one of my favorite trends in the healthcare field is the growing importance of therapy animals. They really are an important part of healing and independence for so many. I would love to hear more of your perspective on the role animals play in maintaining a healthy society.
Hi, thankyou for your reply. I will consider that as part of my future posts for sure but I agree in their importance for healing :)
You just got a new follower @ruzindana
Amazing! Hope you enjoy my future posts!
You just got a new follower @ruzindana
Hy @amavi. Welcome to steemit. Your job is really awesome. I am in love with pets. To be in touch with your and your interesting posts regarding pets I have followed and upvoted you. Hope you will do the same.
Great to meet you and welcome to Steemit!!
A zookeeper?! SO COOL! That was ALL I wanted to be when I was a kid. I did actually try to get a position at London Zoo when I left university but man, those jobs are sooooo competitive. So now I have my own livestock instead. ;) Which zoo is it you're at? (You don't have to say).
Anyway, welcome again and I look forward to seeing your posts.
Heya @amavi
You are fortunate to be surrounded by nature & beautiful animals & Other creatures.
You seem to be an Interesting personality, I wish to befriend you. Moreover, I would like you to guide me as to How Could I make connections here on Steemit.
Upvoted & Followed, plz stay Connected.