Keeper for the Day
Ever dreamed of the chance to work with some of the rarest wildest animals in the world? Become a keeper for the day at the UK’s top conservation Park.
Experience one of the most exciting careers in the world as you roll up your sleeves, wack on your wellies and spend the day shadowing one of our highly trained animal carers. During your day as a keeper you will be assigned to one section and will spend your day helping with food preparation, feeding, cleaning out and anything else that might happen!
Go in with the keepers and help clean and feed the tigers, monkeys and many more. Get close for photos or just the sheer pleasure of being able to assist the care of these beautiful endangered animals.
Keeper for a day - Why not surprise someone with this unusual present? Or maybe reward, or use as an incentive, for a member of your staff? Or just simply treat yourself!
What animals will I work with?
As keeper for the day the choice is yours - choose the animal you would most like to work with and we will be assign you to the relevant team: Bear in mind you will work with a selection of animals throughout your day not just your chosen one!
Animals to choose from include: Rhinos, Giraffes, Baboons , Porcupines, Spectacled Bears, Tapir, Otters, Hippos & Babirusa, All our Monkeys and apes including: Gibbon, Mandrill, Spider monkey, Siamang, Macaques, Bats and Tortoise as well as Tigers, Lions, 8 Lemur Species as well as Tamarins, Marmosets, our large collection of Kangaroos & Wallabies, Vultures, Condors, Penguins, Macaws, Spoonbills, Waterfowl, Storks and Ibis
*Although we will make every effort to place you with your choice of animal we cannot guarantee it.
What shall I wear?
"Keepering" is a mucky job so be warned you will be expected to "muck in", so wear suitable clothing and footwear. Safety Wellington Boots are available for loan however we must have your request and shoe size in advance!
What hours will I work?
The day will start at 7.45 when following a safety briefing you will be 
met by your “keeper for the day” and will finish (animals permitting!) at 17.30.
Rules for participants
- Participants must be over 16, quite fit and because of the nature and demands of the work in good physical condition.
- If you need personal insurance then please arrange own insurance for the day.
- This activity is inside park public opening hours. Strict rules apply so that the animals are not disturbed and it is done during their normal working procedures. It has been carefully thought out and no added stress will be allowed on the animals. Numbers are strictly limited.
Costs
Minimum donation £125.00. Morning drink with snack, lunch, and afternoon drink is included and at the end of the day you will receive a memento of your day.
The keeper for the day scheme is run and organised by the Wildlife Protection Foundation - an International charity based here at the park working all around the world to save habitats an species in the wild. All money raised is donated to conservation in the wild. Another active conservation project from the park that doesn't just talk about conservation...it does it!
Availability
Some dates are available for this year - places are allocated on a first come first served basis!
Contact us now on 01229 466086 to see what dates are available and for more information on the Keeper For The Day experience.
Reviews
Thank you for your quick reply but the friend that I was planning to buy the experience for, bought it for me! She surprised me and we came up Sunday.
It was an absolutely wicked day and your keeper staff are great! They were all very friendly and accommodating and we were both really impressed with the layout of your zoo and how you keep your animals. You have made great use of the available space and the wooden walk way which lets you see the tigers jump for their food is a great idea. It's a really fab place and we'd recommend it to anyone.
It was especially nice because the although your zoo is very professionally managed, it has a distinctly un-corporate and friendly atmosphere
We were so excited, I hope we weren't incredibly annoying!
Good luck for your expansion next year! I hope that even though your zoo will get much bigger, you will retain your original and individual charm.
Many thanks!
Kat
Dear Everyone,
Thanks very much to all the staff at the South Lakes Animal Park for giving my niece, Steph Hull, such a wonderful day last Thursday. She thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it and I am so grateful for all the time you gave to make that possible for her.
Hello to all the keepers at the park, I am just writing to thank you all who looked after me on Thursday when I was the keeper for the day.
I really enjoyed my day, it really was amazing to be so close with all the animals, and was an all round amazing experience.
Everyone who looked after me did an amazing job, and I would like to thank you all for making my day so brilliant. You are all doing a fantastic job there at the park, and I hope to be visiting again soon.
Thanks again
Sat 12th Aug I joined you for a 'Keeper for the Day' experience, and have not stopped talking about it since!
I have huge admiration and respect for all of you and the work that you do. It was a fantastic day and I will be booking a return visit. (One of my friends has just booked a day with yourselves following my praise of everyone and everything!) Finally I would like to add that I think The Park does a wonderful job towards animal conservation and I will recommend you to everyone I know. Also, apart from being thrilled at working so closely with the animals on the day, I should mention that every staff member that I met was wonderful. I was impressed by how each person made me feel at ease and as if I really was a help and not a burden to their daily activities. It was heart-warming to see how well they all pulled together and the general camaraderie of the team.
Thank you all once again, Julie Martin-Molyneux
