Be An Elephant Keeper For The Day!

Have you ever visited a zoo and been a little bit envious of the people who get to work with these amazing animals, day in, day out? Well, at Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm this dream can become a reality: we offer once-in-a-lifetime Zoo Keeper Experiences, where you can get hands-on and help look after your favourite animal for the day! And as of last year, we have another Keeper Experience to go alongside our ‘Big Cat’ Experience (African Lions and Bengal Tigers), ‘Big Zoo Animals’ Keeper Experience (White Rhinos, Giraffes and Lowland Tapirs) and others. Yes, you can now get up-close and hands-on with everyone’s favourite trunked friend: the African Elephant!

Buta, our beautiful 30-year-old female African Elephant, is a pleasure to look after – she loves her daily routine and will be very happy to see you. Your morning will consist of working alongside our team of Elephant Keepers in a Protected Contact management system, ensuring that Buta receives the best care possible. As part of the experience you’ll also meet our two cheeky male elephants Janu and M’Changa. Youngsters with adorable character, the pair may feature in the activities you are involved with during the morning. We all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and with your Elephant Keeper Experience, you will prepare our elephants brekkies before you clean out their enclosure and help with the daily maintenance. You will also watch daily husbandry care being performed by the keepers – this could include anything from weighing and washing to skin/foot care and taking blood. Depending on the day, you may then get an opportunity to hide enrichment treats in the outside enclosure, before watching the elephants search for and find the treats. It’s simply adorable to witness! Whether you are an Elephant lover yourself or you want to give that special someone in your life a unique gift, the memories from the experience will last a lifetime. Available to book in advance (see T&Cs) for Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 8am – 10am, the only criteria is that you must be over the age of 18, and you’ll need to have a reasonable level of fitness to participate fully in this experience.

We think that Zoo Keeper Experiences are a fantastic way to spend a morning, but don’t simply take our word for it! Just some of the testimonials we have received include: “Amazing experience, best birthday present I have ever had” and “Thank you for an incredible experience, memories to treasure forever”. Paying for your experience is easy – simply use our online shop or contact us directly to book a date. The price is £200 for one participant, and this cost includes full admission into the zoo for the whole day. We are delighted that we can offer a spacious home for our African Elephants here at Noah’s Ark; sadly the species are deemed “vulnerable” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List, so we are doing what we can along with other zoos in terms of conservation to protect numbers, both in natural habitats and in captivity. Come and see these amazing creatures for yourself and spend the morning with Buta, Janu and M’Changa by booking your Elephant Keeper Experience today.