Zoo Keeping & Animal Conservation – B2 English Listening Exercise

9 animal behaviour 10 leopard 11 foster parent 12 facial expressions

13 cardboard box 14 paperwork 15 viewing platform

16 mountain sanctuary 17 habitat loss 18 magazine article

Mark: Hello everyone, my name is Mark and I’ve been a zookeeper for over a decade now, specialising in highly sentient mammals. Working with these incredible creatures is more than just a job to me; it’s a lifelong passion. When people ask about my background, they often assume I have a degree in biology or perhaps veterinary science. While those are very common routes, my own degree at university was actually in animal behaviour, which gave me a really unique perspective on how social groups function in captivity.

When I first started out as a junior keeper, I initially thought I’d be working exclusively with primates, like chimpanzees or orangutans. However, due to staff shortages, the very first creature I formed a profound connection with was actually a leopard. That experience taught me so much about building trust with powerful predators, though I eventually transferred to the primate department, which was my ultimate goal.

For the past seven years, I’ve been the head keeper for our troop of western lowland gorillas. Gorillas are incredibly intelligent and emotional beings. To them, the keepers aren’t just staff. I’ve raised some of the younger ones since birth. You might think they see me as a sort of troop leader, or perhaps just a friend, but researchers have observed that they actually treat me as a foster parent. They show me genuine affection and look to me for reassurance when they get startled.

Understanding what they want takes time. People expect us to communicate using elaborate hand gestures, or that we rely on interpreting their vocal noises. In reality, the most reliable way to gauge their mood is by closely watching their facial expressions. A slight narrowing of the eyes or a specific movement of the lips tells me exactly how a gorilla is feeling on any given day.

Keeping them entertained is part and parcel of the job. We constantly design new enrichment activities to challenge them mentally. Last week, I thought I’d give the youngest male a thick rope to swing on, and someone else suggested a heavy-duty plastic ball. But as it turned out, the thing that kept him occupied for hours was a simple cardboard box. He wore it on his head like a hat and carried it around all day!

Of course, not everything is glamorous. Most people guess that the hardest part of being a zookeeper is the heavy physical labour, or maybe the endless hours of cleaning enclosures. While those tasks are certainly tiring, the thing I actually dread the most is the paperwork. We have to meticulously record every dietary change and medical observation, which can take hours.

We are always looking to upgrade the gorillas’ living space, and we recently secured funding for a massive renovation. We initially considered adding a large artificial waterfall, and the public wanted a new climbing frame, but we eventually decided that constructing a viewing platform was the priority. It will give the animals more shade and allow visitors to observe them without causing any stress.

Beyond the zoo, we are heavily involved in global conservation. Two years ago, I travelled to Africa to assist with wild populations. I was supposed to work at a breeding centre, but plans changed out of the blue, and I was sent to a mountain sanctuary instead. Seeing gorillas thriving in their natural environment was an absolutely breathtaking experience.

Unfortunately, they face severe challenges in the wild. While poaching remains a terrible problem, and climate change is a looming threat, the most urgent crisis threatening their survival right now is habitat loss. Forests are being cleared at an alarming rate for agriculture, leaving these magnificent animals with nowhere to go.

I want to do everything in my power to protect them. I’ve thought about writing a book about my experiences, or starting a regular blog. However, I’ve decided to focus my immediate efforts on putting together a magazine article. It will reach a wide audience next month and hopefully inspire people to support our conservation campaigns. Thanks for listening.

9 zoology 10 breeding programmes 11 safety checks 12 laughter

13 soft brushes 14 behind the ears 15 watermelons

16 habitat loss 17 patience 18 wildlife hospital

Mark: Hello, everyone. My name’s Mark, and I’ve been a zookeeper for just over ten years now. I’m here today to talk to you about what it’s really like to work with large mammals, particularly elephants, and to explain a bit about our vital role in animal conservation.

People often ask me what I studied at university to get into this line of work. A lot of my colleagues actually did degrees in veterinary science, which is obviously very useful if you want to treat sick animals. However, my own academic background is in zoology, and I found that gave me the perfect foundation for understanding animal behaviour and ecology.

Zoos have changed significantly over the decades. In the past, the main goal was simply public entertainment, putting exotic animals on display. Today, however, our absolute priority is managing successful breeding programmes, ensuring that endangered species have a sustainable future. Educating the public who visit us is wonderful, but it primarily serves to support that overarching mission.

A zookeeper’s day starts very early. You might logically assume the first thing we do is prepare the animals’ morning meals, as they are usually quite hungry by then! But actually, before any food is handed out or enclosures are cleaned, we have to carry out rigorous safety checks across the entire site. We need to be absolutely certain that fences, locks, and gates are completely secure after the night.

My absolute favourite part of the day is the daily ritual of bathing the elephants. Some people might think getting up close to such massive, powerful animals would be terrifying, or simply exhausting physical work. In reality, it invariably brings immense joy and laughter to all the caretakers. The elephants are incredibly playful, and they love splashing us with water from their trunks!

When we wash them, we use various tools to get the job done properly. We do have a high-pressure hose to get the thickest mud off their legs, but for the actual scrubbing of their bodies, we rely on soft brushes to gently clean them. Elephant skin is surprisingly sensitive, so we completely avoid using anything harsh or abrasive.

You get to know the animals’ individual preferences very quickly when you work closely with them. For instance, our oldest female elephant, Tara, loves being washed down her back. But generally speaking, the absolute sweet spot for most of the herd is right behind the ears. When you scrub them there, they lean in and close their eyes in pure bliss.

Diet is another crucial aspect of our daily work. Elephants consume vast quantities of food, primarily consisting of hay, grasses, and tree branches. We do give them treats to help build a bond, too. I initially tried offering them apples and carrots, which they liked, but it turns out that watermelons are their absolute favourite treat. They can crush a whole one in a single bite, which is amazing to watch!

Beyond the zoo walls, we are heavily involved in global conservation efforts. We raise funds for field projects protecting wild elephants in Asia and Africa. While poaching remains a terrible and well-known threat, the most urgent issue we are currently campaigning against is habitat loss, as human settlements and agriculture continue to expand into traditional elephant territories.

Working with wild animals requires a specific set of personal qualities. Physical strength is undeniably important, given the heavy lifting of food and equipment we do every day. Yet, above all else, you really need to have patience because animals never work to a human timetable. You simply cannot rush a stubborn elephant!

Looking ahead, we have some exciting developments planned at the zoo. We recently opened a new primate enclosure, which has been hugely popular with visitors. Next year, however, we are breaking ground on a state-of-the-art wildlife hospital. This facility will allow us to treat injured native animals from the local area, as well as providing top-level care for our own zoo residents. It’s a project I’m very proud to be part of.