Zoo Keeping & Animal Conservation – B2 English Listening Exercise

9 biology degree 10 temperature 11 gloves 12 frozen mice

13 branches 14 medical check 15 habitat loss

16 school children 17 vibration 18 confidence

Liam: Hi everyone, my name is Liam, and I’m currently completing my internship as a zookeeper. I’m here today to tell you a bit about my experience, specifically working in the reptile house with serpents. I’ve always been fascinated by the natural world, and I knew early on I wanted to work with animals. While most of my friends from college decided to do a veterinary course to become animal doctors, I actually opted for a biology degree, which really gave me the theoretical background I needed and helped me secure this fantastic internship at the city zoo.

My first day was quite an eye-opener. When I initially entered the reptile house, I fully expected to notice a strong smell, as you often do in animal enclosures. But what immediately struck me was the temperature. It has to be kept extremely warm and humid around the clock for these cold-blooded residents, which took some getting used to!

Working with serpents means safety is our top priority. We have strict protocols when dealing with them, especially the larger or more defensive species. We definitely don’t use our bare hands or a simple net to move them around. Instead, thick leather gloves are an absolute necessity whenever we need to handle the harmless snakes, while we use specialized metal hooks for the venomous ones.

Feeding time is always a fascinating process. A lot of visitors come to the glass expecting to see us give the snakes live prey, like large insects or even small birds. In reality, for ethical and safety reasons, their primary diet consists of frozen mice, which we carefully thaw out and warm up before offering them to the snakes using long forceps.

Of course, being a zookeeper isn’t just about feeding; cleaning the enclosures is a massive part of my daily routine. Before I started, I figured I’d mostly just be scrubbing the glass at the front of the displays. But actually, replacing the branches is the most time-consuming task. The snakes love to climb and often shed their old skin on them, so they need to be swapped out and sanitized regularly.

We also monitor their health very closely. Our snakes are weighed weekly by the keepers, but once a month, the head vet comes into our department. This isn’t just for a casual observation from outside the tank; the vet has to perform a full medical check on every individual serpent to ensure they are in peak condition.

Beyond daily care, our zoo is heavily involved in global animal conservation. People often assume that climate change is the single massive threat to all wildlife globally. While that is a huge issue, for these specific wild serpent populations, habitat loss is the biggest danger they face, as forests are cleared for agriculture.

Part of my internship also involves educating the public about these amazing creatures. I occasionally talk to groups of tourists passing through, but interacting with school children is what I do most frequently. I love it because they have no filter and always ask the absolute best questions!

I’ve learned some incredible facts here, too. For instance, I used to wonder how snakes perceive the world without external ears to hear airborne sounds. It turns out, they rely entirely on vibration travelling through the ground to detect the movement of both predators and prey. It’s a highly tuned sensory system.

Overall, this internship has completely transformed me. I used to be quite anxious, particularly about speaking in public or handling large animals, but my overall confidence has grown massively over the last few months. It’s been an incredible journey, and I’m hoping to apply for a permanent zookeeper position here very soon.

9 briefing meeting 10 welfare inspections 11 dietary supplement 12 wood shavings

13 plastic puzzle 14 breeding programme 15 habitat preservation

16 vaccination records 17 behavioural report 18 perimeter fence

Mark: Hi everyone. I’m Mark, and I’ve been a senior zookeeper here for over a decade. I’m going to talk to you about what my job actually involves on a day-to-day basis, and also touch on some of the wider conservation work we do.

My day always kicks off at 7 a.m. sharp. We don’t head straight to the enclosures, though some people might expect that. Instead, everyone gathers for a comprehensive briefing meeting where we discuss the schedule and any overnight developments. It’s crucial that we all know exactly what the priorities are before we even put our boots on.

Once that’s done, I do my rounds. You might think we just look to see if the animals are awake, but we are actually carrying out detailed welfare inspections. I check their physical condition, look at their posture, and ensure they haven’t injured themselves during the night. It requires a highly trained eye to spot if something is slightly off.

Next comes food preparation. It’s not just a case of throwing them some meat or leaves. We follow strict nutritional guidelines, which means calculating precise portions. The monkeys, for instance, get a specialized dietary supplement mixed into their fruit to keep their coats healthy, rather than just standard vitamins. They can be quite fussy, so we have to disguise it well!

Then there’s the glamorous part – cleaning. While visitors love seeing the exotic plants, removing waste is my main priority. I also have to replace the wood shavings in the indoor pens, as straw can sometimes carry fungal spores which are harmful to the respiratory systems of certain mammals. It’s hard, physical labour.

By mid-morning, we focus on animal enrichment to keep them mentally stimulated. I used to hide their food in cardboard boxes, but they figured that out too quickly and got bored. Nowadays, I prefer using a plastic puzzle for the big cats, making them work out how to reach their meat. It mimics the challenges they’d face hunting in the wild.

After lunch, my attention shifts to our conservation efforts. We are part of a global initiative protecting endangered species. Although we’ve had great success with rare frogs recently, our primary focus this year is the breeding programme for the snow leopards, which has been incredibly rewarding. We are hoping to welcome cubs by next spring.

At 2 p.m., I usually give an educational presentation. Many visitors ask questions about the animals’ natural habitats. I try to avoid just reeling off facts from a textbook; instead, I emphasize the importance of habitat preservation, explaining how deforestation is the real threat to their survival in the wild. Educating the public is half our battle.

Later in the afternoon, the vet might drop by. We regularly monitor the animals for any signs of illness. Last week we had to deal with a minor infection, but today we are just updating the vaccination records for the young elephants. It is a legal requirement and absolutely crucial for their immunity as they grow.

As the zoo closes to the public, you’d think we could just pack up and go home. However, every single observation made during the day must be logged. I don’t just write down what they ate; I have to submit a detailed behavioural report onto the central database so other keepers know exactly what’s been happening with group dynamics.

Finally, before I hand over my keys, I do a perimeter check. Security guards manage the main gates, but it’s my job to ensure that the perimeter fence is completely secure. Only then can I head home, knowing the animals are safe for the night.