Every week the keepers from South Lakes Safari Zoo share their news from the park

THIS week our Africa keeper Erica and deputy animal manager Kim noticed wildebeest Harry seemed a little out of sorts.

Harry was eating well but didn’t seem himself.

International Zoo Veterinary Group consultant vet Karen, who was concerned the symptoms were typical of kidney or liver failure, attended to anaesthatise Harry and obtain a blood sample, supported by senior keeper Gavin, zoo vet nurse Kelly and keeper Michael.

We whizzed the sample down to the lovely folk at Furness Veterinary Centre in Dalton for immediate testing and waited with baited breath!

The results thankfully showed Harry’s kidney and liver function were normal.

Whilst under anaesthetic the team gave Harry a ‘once over’, checking his teeth, eyes and other things we wouldn’t normally be close enough to see and he happily got the all clear.

Harry’s bloods have been sent for further testing but meanwhile he is out on the field with his wildebeest friends George and William.

We will keep you updated on Harry over the coming weeks.

Elsewhere at the zoo animal keepers Gavin and Michael along with Amy who has recently joined the team, look after our resident cats and carnivores including our four-year-old Sumatran Tiger twins Kumbuh and Cinta.

The keepers decided their house was due for a “spring clean” and revamp.

Cue a sprinkle of magic from our super-talented maintenance team - Ian, Ahmed, Kev, Marcus, Paul and John who transformed their indoor enclosures into interesting, enriched homes fit for these two beauties.

We also took the opportunity to pop in some shiny new glass from the local glaziers.

The glass in our cat houses must meet strict guidelines and with this revamp we decided to take the opportunity to install thicker glass to ensure this adheres to new guidelines expected to come into force in the near future.