A day in the life of an animal ranger

I arrive at the Wild Place Project first thing in the morning raring to go. I’m ready and willing to get my gear on and get my hands dirty as I spend the day walking in the shoes of one of the conservation park’s fifteen animal rangers.

It’s not until I’m fully fleeced and booted, however, that I really take a close look at my itinerary, which lists one particular task that momentarily curbs my enthusiasm: ’12.05pm – Prepare the cheetahs diet and feed them in their enclosure.’ Gulp.

I meet up with Anna, who has kindly agreed to show me around some of the 40-acre park and give me a taste of ranger life, and try to put lunchtime to the back of my mind for the time being.

First, we head into the meerkat exhibit, where ten tiny bodies scuttle towards us, sniffing at the plastic box Anna carries at her side.

“How do you feel about crickets?” she asks me, to which I respond with a seriously unconvincing smile-and-nod.

I take an egg box covered in a swarm of live insects and proceed to shake it around the enclosure, much to the delight of the meerkats, who happily hoover them up in an instant.

As we make our way across the expansive site, situated in the woodland near Cribbs Causeway, Anna briefs me on task number two – preparing breakfast for a decidedly larger mammal all the way from the rainforests of the Congo.

We enter the enclosure of Kibibi, a female Okapi who I am told is prone to the odd roundhouse kick. Keeping my distance I start to prepare her meal as she looks on impatiently, eager to get her chops around it.

When I’m done playing sous chef, Kibibi proceeds to snatch a piece of cabbage straight out of Anna’s hand, having absolutely no time whatsoever for the likes of bowls or feeding buckets. We promptly leave her to it. Next stop: the aviary.

Hidden away at the back of Wild Place is a maze of reinforced steel, which I remark is perhaps a bit much for a group of harmless birds. Anna explains that the cages used to be holding pens for the likes of apes, lions and white tigers that were in transit or required solitary confinement, and are now used to house the off-show birds that thrive in a more secluded environment, away from prying eyes and tapping fingers.

I’m struck by one cage in particular, housing two plump birds with what look like oozing gunshot wounds on their puffed-up chests.

“Those are Bartlett’s bleeding heart doves,” Anna tells me. “They’re completely extinct in the wild, so it’s important that we keep a close eye on them and make sure they’re healthy and happy enough to breed.”

Hatching chicks seems to be the name of the game in the aviary, but for some of its residents even a private cage away from the rabble isn’t enough to get them in the mood.

“We do have two white cockatoos, which are endangered, but it’s next to impossible to breed them in captivity. Only one zoo in the UK has ever managed it and it took the pair 19 years to have a chick!”

Finally it’s lunchtime – but unfortunately not for me. I say goodbye to Anna and meet up with Emma, who hands over a large bucket of what appears to be fluff.

“Those are quail, for the cheetahs. Are you ready to feed them?”

Ready as I’ll ever be, we head over to Mahali Pori National Park. As we reach the chain link fence the three cheetahs, who I’m told are brothers, stare us down with a knowing look.

They have a separate feeding enclosure that I litter with quail as the cats growl and paw at the fence.

As soon as the gate opens the trio bolt into the enclosure and snap up their lunch in a matter of seconds, and it’s safe to say I’m glad to put some distance between us as Emma takes me on to the final task.

In the Discover Madagascar exhibit the animals roam freely, going about their business as visitors walk through.  Emma offers me a bucket full of vegetables and I dot them around, followed by fifteen brazen ring-tailed lemurs. Cheeky as ever, one jumps onto the bucket, rummaging through the veg until he finds his favourite treat – a huge hunk of sweet potato.

Although I may not be looking at a career-change just yet, I’ve gained a newfound respect for the passion and hard work the rangers put into their job, and getting to know some of Wild Place’s biggest characters was an experience I’m unlikely to forget. 

At the end of our tour I thank Emma, and wish her luck mucking out the zebras, the next job on her list. She seems unperturbed by the task, and happily waves me off. 

“All in a day’s work,” she says. 

For more information or to book your own animal ranger experience, visit www.wildplace.org.uk.