Zookeeper Tom

A behind-the-scenes look at zookeeper Tom

Introducing

Tom has been a zookeeper at ZooParc for some time now. He has a varied job, because in addition to being a zookeeper he is also the team leader of other zookeepers and takes care of feeding the animals. He is also studying biology! He finds biodiversity in the park very interesting and likes to focus on the health of animals and plants. In the park he and his team are responsible for the South America section, actually you could also see it as the entire lower part of the park map.

What makes this job so much fun?

"The variety! No day is the same!" said Tom. In addition, ZooParc also has specific things that make the work so much fun. Expedition area the 'Outback' is one of the most fun areas in ZooParc, he says, because the animals there are free to roam around and have their own way. One of his favorite animals is the flamingo, which he researched during his studies and knows a lot about. He has also had the opportunity to do special projects in the park, but the best project was creating a biotope for the animals in Madidi. But what is a biotope? A biotope is the simulated natural habitat of animals as they would live in the wild. To do this, he researched which plants would best suit the animal species living in Madidi. Almost all of the plants in Madidi are actually from Central and South America!

Where to start?

In the morning, Tom starts with a morning tour of the park and counts all the animals. Then he starts right away in the kitchen. First he cleans up yesterday's dishes and cuts all the vegetables together with his colleagues who also work in the kitchen. This has to be done before the other animal caretakers arrive. That way they can start feeding the animals right away.

What's on the menu?

In ZooParc there is a kitchen with vegetables, fruits and kibble and a separate kitchen where all meat and fish is prepared. Tom deals with the nutrition and diet of different animals. For example, he adjusts the diet when a cub is born, when an animal is too old for certain foods, if an animal has medical complaints or when an animal has just been castrated et cetera. So the diets are adjusted to the circumstances of each animal! Also, all the food is weighed very precisely.

Of course, all of this must be properly tracked. In the kitchen, therefore, there is a TV screen showing exactly which animal can have which type of food and how much. Is there a pregnant monkey? Then the diet is adjusted in the system. The system also records specific remarks per individual, such as no eggplant or beans for the female sloth, because her stomach is bothering her. The use of color also indicates a lot; for example, each color represents an animal group and each color block is a feeding time. There is also a difference in vegetables served, which are divided into four categories: A, B, C and D. Tom is responsible for the entire feeding system and all orders, a fun challenge!

A tasty challenge

With the animals they are responsible for, the animal caretakers get to decide in what form they offer the food. Just give it in a bowl or do they make it a little more difficult and challenging, such as hiding the food in bamboo tubes, in a box of hay or chaining meat to tree trunks? In the wild, animals don't just get their food served to them either and have to search for their own meal. In this way, the animals' natural instincts are stimulated.

Feeding the animals and checking plants yourself

After Tom takes care of everything in the kitchen, he also starts feeding the animals for which he is responsible. This is because each zookeeper is responsible for his/her own species. There is no swapping between them, because, of course, each animal is different. Tom also keeps a close eye on all the plants in Madidi, which he also enjoys!