A ZOOKEEPER

I am Tom. I love animals. When I was a kid, I had two cats and three dogs. They lived in our garden. I started to work on a farm when I was thirteen years old.

Now, I work as a zookeeper at Kentucky Zoo. It’s my third year here, and I work mainly with lions, tigers and gorillas and I love it. Gorillas are my favourite and always will be. If you’ve never worked with gorillas it’s difficult to explain, but they are very special. They are very intelligent animals. I noticed that they show various emotions. For example, they get excited when they have delicious food or new toys, and angry when someone tries to hurt them.

My job isn’t for lazy people. It isn’t easy and sometimes it can be dangerous. It’s a dirty job, but brilliant if you love animals. It’s also tiring because you can’t sit down. I feed the animals, clean their living spaces, and work to keep them healthy and happy.

For this job, you need to enjoy being outside and should be quite fit. You should join science clubs, play with animals and read about wildlife. You should also be friendly. I work eight hours a day, generally 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. – but things can change and I sometimes have to cancel plans and rearrange my social life! My family seems to be proud of what I do. I think it is hard for them when they expect me home at 5 p.m. and I don’t make it home untill 7 p.m. or later. I also have to work sometimes on holidays and be away from them. They don’t complain much. So, why do I do it? I love animals and this is the best job in the world!