Mark O Riordan

What animals do you work with?

I work with the Carnivores and Ungulate divisions

How long have you been working as a zookeeper/vet/vet nurse?

I have been a zoo keeper for around 7 years now (on and off)

How did you get into zookeeping/vet/vet nursing as a profession?

I always wanted to work with animals from a very early age but thought I would work in animal protection for the Irish Society for the Protection of Animals. I was actually anti-zoo in my teens so I decided to do 3 weeks work experience from college in a local wildlife park to do a bit of private investigative work. Fortunately I loved every single minute and learned very quickly the importance of zoo's worldwide and I haven't looked back since (12 years later!).

What do you love most about your job?

Definitely working outside and with animals is what I love about being a zoo keeper. I worked in a factory for 6 months and it was nearly the death of me! More importantly a lot of animals I have and am working with are close to extinction. These animals are ambassadors for their cousins in the wild, holding a safety net in case of extinction. Informing people about their plight and what they can do to help at Keeper presentation/encounters is an important part of the job. I love getting through to people about these serious issues.

What has been the wildest moment of your career so far?

On Christmas day around 5 years ago while working at a European Zoo there was a failure in communication between a few zoo keepers (myself included) and I came face to face with a very angry Mishmi Takin (a large muscular goat/antelope from Bhutan). To make a long story short there was a lot of straw going every where, kicks were flying, horns were stabbing and Mark was crying!! I eventually got out of the enclosure safe and sound but a lot whiter than I went in (and I didn't think I could get any pastier being winter in northern Europe!)

What would be the biggest learning experience from Njeri's condition?

I suppose with any animals that you are working with you need to document any change or abnormality.  For example with Njeri, she had always had a mole on her left ear and it was one of her distinguishing features.  When it first started changing, keepers initially thought it was a simple case of fly bite but with careful observations and documentation, keepers and vets realised that it could be more far more serious than that and did a biopsy.  This led to the diagnosis of malignant melanoma, which had never been recorded in Lions previously. It highlighted to me that keepers always need to be very observant and careful to document any changes in the animals they care for.