Abi Clarke: Zookeeper in Training

Has Abi Clarke done enough to earn her stripes as Chester Zoo’s newest zookeeper? She’s survived six weeks of rhino poo, crocodile encounters, and relocating flamingos. But the finish line isn’t quite in sight yet. Before she graduates there’s a pregnant sifaka on the brink of giving birth, some freshly hatched chicks that need weighing and it's time to enter the bat cave. Because nothing tests yo...

When the team asked Abi if there were any animals she was scared of, she said “ Crocodile, obviously .” So today… she’s meeting one. Kind of. Maybe. It’s complicated. Is it a crocodile? A gharial? A  false  gharial? You’ll have to listen to find out. But that's just the start. Until now, Abi’s had it pretty easy. Otters, sloths, and casually lobbing grapes at a cassowary. But the real wo...

Stop the press. We've found a chameleon wearing a waistcoat. And he's ready for the catwalk. While this fashionable reptile steals the show with his very stylish choices, on the other side of the zoo, there's some big news about some HUGE new arrivals. And we take a visit to the vet, to hear about STDs, haemorrhoids and a group of chimpanzees using their babies as shields. See some of Abi’s advent...

Week 3 and it's time to meet the unexpected icons of the zoo. The underdogs. The animals you didn't have on your bingo card. Abi kicks things off by meeting the Brad Pitt of Komodo Dragons. And traumatising some children in the process. Then it's back to Keeper Jonathan from the bird team who's on hand to introduce some of Chester's most fabulous feathered residents. Plus, Abi meets a tortoise who...

It's Week 2 and it's time to turn things up a notch. First stop: Sloth training with Keeper Sophie. Move over Dua Lipa, Rico's training season is just getting started. And he's doing it at his own pace. Then, Keeper Zoe introduces us to a huge bird that could probably win a fight against a dinosaur, provided the dinosaur didn't distract it with grapes. And finally, Adam is meeting us in a car park...

Comedian Abi Clarke is stepping out of the comedy spotlight and into some steel-capped boots, because she is officially Chester Zoo’s newest Zookeeper in Training.   In her first week on the job, Abi is thrown straight into the deep end. And by the deep end, we mean a close encounter with some very vocal giant otters, a relocation mission involving 107 greater flamingos and helping a herd of...

Comedian Abi Clarke has just become a zookeeper in training. She’s trading the comedy circuit, for the Komodo Dragon habitat, as she attempts to become Chester Zoo’s newest recruit. This is a wildlife podcast like no other. Forget emotional montages and dramatic music. And enter one frazzled comedian working it out, one day at a time. Abi has just six weeks to prove that she has what it takes to b...