Working in a Bird Sanctuary: Learning Opportunities in the Avian Haven of Ohligs (Bird Park)
Ohligs Bird Park, a popular destination for animal and nature lovers, is more than just a tourist attraction. It also serves as a training facility for aspiring animal keepers, offering a comprehensive three-year programme that covers all aspects of bird care and conservation.
The training programme at Ohligs Bird Park is designed to provide a well-rounded education, focusing on daily care and feeding, habitat maintenance, monitoring bird health and behaviour, and assisting with breeding programmes. Trainees also receive education on species-specific needs and safety protocols for both animals and keepers.
The day at Ohligs Bird Park begins early, with the workday starting at 7 am before the park opens for visitors. The first task of the day is cleaning - around 90% of all tasks involve regular cleaning, such as mucking out the stalls and cleaning the paths outside the enclosures. Hygiene is a top priority at Ohligs Bird Park to meet the high expectations of guests.
One unique aspect of the training programme is the hands-on experience in animal husbandry. This includes the responsible task of properly dismembering the feed animal, a task that trainees are involved in from the beginning and are treated like full-fledged employees. Different killing methods are used for feed animals, with the blood remaining in the body of the animal. The killing of feed animals is done on-site by a hunter with a bolt-action rifle to minimise stress for the animals.
The training programme also includes theoretical instruction at the Elly-Heuss-Knapp vocational college in Düsseldorf, as well as the creation of a herbarium as part of the botany lessons. The training offers opportunities to explore different specializations and work at cooperation partners such as Zoo Wuppertal and Aquazoo Düsseldorf.
It's important to note that the feed given to the animals at Ohligs Bird Park is carefully considered to ensure the highest quality. Feeding with all components of the feed animal increases the quality of the food, ensuring the birds are well-nourished and healthy. However, some animals, such as skunks, have specific dietary restrictions. Skunks should not be given fruit as they are prone to diabetes.
Each animal at Ohligs Bird Park has an individual character, and trainees learn to understand and cater to these unique personalities. The park is home to a variety of predators, including ferrets, raccoons, badgers, skunks, and the serval, all of which are carnivores with different food requirements. Other meat, such as day-old chicks, is also purchased for feeding the animals.
In addition to birds, Ohligs Bird Park also houses a variety of other animals, making it a diverse and exciting place to learn and work. The park is open to visitors daily, and while the trainees are busy behind the scenes, the enclosures, playground, green areas, and toilets are cleaned and prepared for the day ahead.
For precise details about Ohligs Bird Park’s training program, it would be best to consult official sources or contact the park directly, as the provided search results do not contain this information. However, one thing is certain - a career as an animal keeper at Ohligs Bird Park offers a varied range of tasks, opportunities for specialisation, and the chance to make a real difference in the lives of the animals under its care.
- The training programme at Ohligs Bird Park focuses on various aspects of bird care and conservation, including daily care and feeding, habitat maintenance, monitoring bird health and behavior, and assisting with breeding programmes.
- In addition to education on bird care, trainees at Ohligs Bird Park also learn about species-specific needs and safety protocols for both animals and keepers.
- The training programme includes hands-on experience in animal husbandry, where trainees learn tasks like cleaning and proper dismembering of feed animals, and are treated as full-fledged employees.
- Ohligs Bird Park's training programme offers opportunities for exploration in different specializations, such as learning at cooperation partners like Zoo Wuppertal and Aquazoo Düsseldorf, and creation of a herbarium as part of the botany lessons in the Elly-Heuss-Knapp vocational college in Düsseldorf.
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