Diary Of A Wild Animal Keeper

CARL PARKER

At the age of 11 when he first started working with sheep and cattle on Romney Marsh, Carl Parker decided he would like a career working with hoofstock. Now, 20 years on, he is living that dream as a hoofstock keeper at Port Lympne and playing his part in caring for and breeding threatened species.

Prior to joining Port Lympne Wild Animal Park, Carl worked at animal rescue centres near Gatwick and Lewes and studied for an HND in Livestock Production at Hadlow College.

Although involved with all the park's hoofstock, he specialises in Malayan tapirs and loves their 'quirky' ways and genuine shows of affection. His favourite is 15-year-old Lidana, who was born at the park and has had six babies here - all fathered by Daeng, who arrived from Singapore. With only around 1200 Malayan tapirs in the wild and currently only 137 in captivity, he is concerned for the future of these amazing animals and aware of the importance of successful breeding programmes to ensure the species survives.

A typical day for Carl starts at 7.30am with breakfast for the tapirs. Once fed and let out, he cleans out their house and moves on to help feed the American bison, water buffalo, bongo, roan antelope and African Experience hoofstock. After general maintenance, more cleaning out and health checks, he returns to his beloved tapirs to give them their final meal before 'bedtime' at 5pm!

MALAYAN TAPIR MENU!

A typical day's menu for a tapir:

550g Carrots
10 Apples
9 Bananas
Large scoop of ungulate nuts
Several armfuls of lucerne
Varied seasonal vegetables
Bread
A few citrus fruits