When I am not looking after the animals I like to spend time with my friends and family, go shopping and spend time relaxing. I also play a lot of football for Brading Town Football club which keeps me fit!

Qualifications: National Certificate in Animal Management from the Isle Of Wight College.

I have hand-reared Penguins, Touracos, Laughing Thrushes and a Patagonian Conure called 'Rio' who lives with me at home!

When I'm not getting my toes chewed by our new arrivals the cheeky Otters or running around catching up newly hatched ducklings I love to photograph and pencil draw some of my favourite animals at the Park.

I am very passionate about Wildlife Conservation and I am currently a volunteer for the Wildlife Trust and BDMLR although I haven't saved any whales and dolphins yet!

Perhaps my most memorable wildlife encounters have been in New Zealand where I was given the opportunity to swim with a colony of playful seals, observe the rarest yellow-eyed penguin emerge from the sea after a hard days fishing and capture the moment of a humpback whale's fluke disappearing into the depths of the ocean!

Conservation has encouraged me to travel worldwide to experience different wildlife encounters. My most memorable wildlife moments have been observing female green turtles nesting on the beaches of Costa Rica, watching humpback whales breaching off the east coast of North America and experiencing the noise and feeding of howler monkeys through Central America. This is my first season at the Park and my highlight has been working alongside the wallabies and their joeys.

As I have had no formal training in animal care I do a lot of on the job training. This includes learning all the diets, where the birds and animals come from and monitoring their behaviour ~ there is lots and lots to learn and take in!

Every species has different needs and different sized feeds and some animals need more care than others.

As a child I had cats and dogs but I always wanted birds but now I don't need to have them at home as we have so many here at the Park that need love and attention.

My nickname here is 'Mother Goose' as I spend extra time giving love and cuddles to the ducklings and the baby goslings who have hatched in the incubation room. I also seem to find nests in the strangest of places from drains to buckets in sheds! I tend to keep an eye on them making sure the mothers get food and are safe. When the eggs hatch I help the other keepers move them to the mother and duckling pen. I enjoy watching them grow up and keep an eye on them.

I don't have a favourite species but if I had to make a choice I would have to say the Penguins especially 'Sun' who hatched last year and he is the one I am holding. I think this is one of the best jobs in the world and very rewarding.

I haven't long worked at the park. I studied at Sparsholt College and gained a first Diploma and a National Certificate in Animal Management.

I've had work experience in places such as Marwell Zoo. I was 'over the moon' to have the opportunity to work here at the park as I've always wanted to work with animals! I'm extremely fond of all the animals at the park although 'pet's corner' is probably my favourite section - and I get very protective over the wallabies!

I am currently studying towards a National Diploma in Ecology and am also very interested in conservation and rehabilitation.

It is a privilege for me to have recently joined Seaview Wildlife Encounter as General Manager. My earlier working experience was in recruitment consultancy and small business management. However I’ve always had a passion for animals and wildlife conservation and spent much of my free time, over many years, in the bush and in game reserves in sub-Saharan Africa.

Six years ago I made the decision to return to the UK from South Africa - to follow my heart and work with animals on a full-time basis. To facilitate this transition I graduated with a degree in Animal Management from Sparsholt College in 2006. Since then I’ve been fortunate to have gained an interesting spectrum of experience. Having worked at other zoos and wildlife parks I’m very pleased to be able to associate myself with Seaview Wildlife Encounter and am looking forward to being an integral part of the business going forward.

The Park operates extremely professionally and sets exceptionally high standards in both animal husbandry and customer service - and simultaneously has a personal, caring, hands-on approach. The team are great too! We’re already planning a number of exciting new developments – so keep a check on our blog page for news updates!

Visiting the Park is a special, memorable day out - you really need to come and see us to experience the magnificent, open parkland setting (with vistas over the Solent) and to enjoy the truly unique interaction with our birds and animals. See you soon!