A YOUNGSTER from Bromsgrove who attends Dodderhill School in Droitwich has the chance to become a zookeeper for the day recently, when she joined the staff at Dudley Zoological Gardens.

Alice Ryan also got to be one of the first ‘little zoo keeper for a day’ participants to handle the zoo’s population of yellow-backed chattering lorikeets. She was treated to the experience as part of an early 12th birthday present, and was joined on the day by her friend Adi Powell.

Her mum Sally said: “We were told this was the first time the lorikeets had been introduced to the young zoo keepers and Alice just loved it. The birds were her favourite and it was really special to see her holding one.

“Alice hasn’t turned 12 yet and already she wants to go back and do it again for her next birthday.”

Dudley Zoo’s chief executive Peter Suddock said: “Alice and Adi had an amazing time. We introduced Keeper For a Day and Little Zoo Keepers for eight to 13 year olds as an experience a few years ago and it has proved so successful that staff are kept busy with requests from all over the country.

“It’s a unique opportunity to get close to some of the rarest animals on the planet and work alongside our keepers with a wide range of exotic and endangered species most folk see only on their TV screens, and funds raised through the scheme support exciting conservation and animal projects at

DZG.”

The lorikeets are an endangered species, and although they’re regular stars of DZG’s daily Go Wild! Shows, this was the first time they’d been handled by a visiting zoo keeper for the day.