Animal keeper Koen

A behind-the-scenes look at zookeeper Koen

Introducing

Koen is animal caretaker, team leader over other animal caretakers and he is in charge of medication and coordination with the veterinarian about the health of the animals in ZooParc. Actually, the zookeepers in ZooParc are divided between the upper and lower part of the park. As you could read earlier, Tom and his team are responsible for the lower part of the park. Koen and his team are responsible for the upper part of the park. Koen studied animal management, which is similar to MBO animal husbandry, but for other species. It is especially necessary for animal caretakers to make many meters in practice in order to learn more and more. Koen should know, because he has been working in zoos for almost 20 years!

In the office and among the animals

Koen has a varied job, he regularly works in the office, but also among the animals. At the office he is mainly occupied with the transport of the animals, arranges the green areas and (medical) animal administration. This records which animals are born, who the parents are, what chip number the animal has, whether it is on medication and whether x-rays have ever been taken. He also has a lot of contact with veterinarians and other zoos in connection with breeding programs, in this way a lot of information is exchanged, so he learns something new every time.

With or without animals in the animal enclosure?

For some animal species, the enclosure is cleaned while the animals are still in the enclosure. But how is this determined? In zoos, animals are divided into different categories, these are based on how dangerous the animals are. Category A includes the most dangerous animals such as lions, cheetahs, tigers, fossas and wild dogs. These are mainly the carnivores. Animal keepers never enter the enclosure of these animals when the animals themselves are still roaming there. These animals go inside first before their enclosure is cleaned or food is hidden in the enclosure. With other species from a different category, the animal caretakers can perform their work while the animals are still in the enclosure. Consider ring-tailed lemurs, for example; they are actually very curious!

Most special while working

Koen thinks the fossas are very beautiful, special animals. They are carnivores and therefore fall into category A. The animal caretakers never enter the fossa's enclosure. The fossa is considered a vulnerable species. Its habitat is becoming smaller and smaller in the wild and the animal is therefore also threatened with extinction. That is why there is a breeding program for the fossa. 'It took a lot of time and patience and it is very rare, but in the end it was the crowning glory of our work that the very first fossa cub in the Netherlands was born in ZooParc! That was very special!" said Koen.

Do the animals recognize you?

'With most animals, love goes through the stomach. If they are often fed by the same person, they are likely to recognize you. This is especially the case with the great apes,' said Koen. When Koen himself walks through the park as a visitor, he notices well which animals recognize him, even without his blue work polo and at different times.

How do you recognize the animals?

The animal keepers recognize most of the animals themselves, even by name. With animals like the piranhas, of course, it's a little different, but most animals can be recognized individually. To make it easier, each animal also has a chip, just like dogs and cats. The chip number is linked to all information about the animal. However, the location of the chip is often different from pets, as the rules of the European database must be met. This records where the chip must be located. The photo shows the device used to read the chips.

Animals such as monkeys and giraffes are somewhat easier to identify by personal/external characteristics. But animals where this is not the case, such as bird species, use colored bands. The animal keepers made this up themselves! Males and females are kept apart by putting the band on the right or left side, so that the caretakers can tell which animal it is from a distance. When the gender has not yet been determined, the animals still have a standard color combination, which is then later cut off and put on with the colors for male/female.

Medication and anesthesia

In emergencies, Koen is the person of choice to stun an animal. This sometimes has to be done with a blowgun or rifle. This is often the case with category A animals. Not only with lions and tigers, but also with deer, for example! Deer are very shy and you cannot get close to them. Therefore, deer, lions and tigers are often given medication or anesthesia by means of a blowgun.

Operations

For most animals, small, simple operations are done in ZooParc itself. There is a special vet room for that. With large and/or dangerous animals, many medical procedures are done in the animal's enclosure itself. All equipment is mobile so that it can be taken into the enclosure. After all, you don't want a lion coming out of its anesthesia early and then standing in the middle of the practice!

All procedures are consulted with the veterinarian first, through photos and videos. Sometimes the animal can easily be transported by car and taken to a local veterinarian, where people also come with their pets, such as cats, dogs and horses. 'Yes, it sometimes happens that we then go to a veterinarian with a ring-tailed lemur, for example,' Koen said. 'Then it does depend on what the symptoms are and how acute it is. Lions, tigers and other large animals receive medical assistance on site in the enclosure. In total there are as many as 300 animals of 83 different species in ZooParc, there is always one that has something of course.

Of course, it sometimes happens that an animal dies. Often this animal is then examined by students and staff of the veterinary medicine department in Utrecht. There they investigate what the animal died of. Birds, for example, are often tested for bird flu.

Training for care

The animals in ZooParc are trained to make grooming easier. For example, giraffes are trained to be able to lift a hoof and show it to the caretakers. Giraffes are nervous animals so it is important to train these large animals so they know what to expect. Within team animal care everyone has their own qualities, for example, one deals with feeding presentations and the other focuses on training the animals. This is also easier for the animals because in this way the trainer's voice/sound stays the same and becomes recognizable for them.

Animal Welfare

At ZooParc, animal welfare is measured regularly. It is observed how the animals behave and what possibilities they have in the enclosure, for example. This is compared to other zoos. The animals are also allowed to choose whether they want to sleep inside or outside. To challenge the animal, food is often offered at different times and in different amounts and is often hidden in the enclosure. In the wild, the animals have to search for their own food as well, so they have to make a little effort!