Keeper for the Day

Step into the boots of a member of the Animal Care Team in one of our three exciting options that take you closer to the animals than ever before!

Escorted by our dedicated animal care team, you will venture behind the scenes and find out just what it takes to care for some of the most incredible creatures on the planet! Our three Keeper for the Day options are listed below with more information to help you choose which package you would like to take part in.

PRICE:
£210 for ONE person

PASSHOLDERS:
Passholders taking part in this experience receive a discount of up to £25 per experience.
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PLEASE ALLOW AT LEAST 48 HOURS FOR PROCESSING OF ONLINE APPLICATIONS & CONFIRMATION, BEFORE YOU WISH TO VISIT.

Experience time

All Keeper for the Day Experiences take part at 11.00am – You will be required to check in with our Experience team at least 10 minutes prior to the experience start time.

Age

Open to participants aged 14yrs +.

Anyone aged 14 – 17yrs must be accompanied by an adult 18yrs or over who is also paying to participate in the same experience.

What’s included

– Exclusive access behind the scenes for a morning session between approximately 11am – 1.30pm.
– A voucher for your 1 hour lunch at Penguini’s Restaurant.
– A further afternoon session behind the scenes between approximately 2.30pm – 3.45pm
– A souvenir gift.
– Complimentary entry to the zoo for the whole day.

Length of experience

Keeper for the Day Experiences consist of a full day experience from 11am – 3.45pm (with a 1 hour lunch break in the middle of the day) with the animals in your scheme and members of the Animal Care Team.

Which species can I choose

Each Keeper for the Day scheme has a different selection of animals included in the experience. Click through to the booking page using the BOOK button above to then select your scheme.

Choose from:

• Scheme A – Elephants, Cheetahs, Mandrills, Hyenas, and Komodo dragons.

• Scheme B – Meerkats, Gelada baboons, Otters, Lemurs and Sun bears.

• Scheme C – Sealions, Amur tigers, Giraffe, Pygmy Hippos, and Red river hogs.

See a gallery of image for each scheme at the bottom of this page.

Number of participants

This experience is for 1 or 2 participants. Experience slots are booked for 1 person at a time so if you would like to book for 2 people to take part in the same slot, please contact the Experiences Team to see what availability we have.

This experience is for a maximum of 2 people, therefore it may be necessary to share some of the activities with another Keeper for the Day participant.

Click here for ACCESSIBILITY INFORMATION

Please read our TERMS & CONDITIONS and ESSENTIAL INFORMATION before booking

Choose from:
_{(Click through to the booking page using the BOOK buttons above to then select your species)}

SCHEME A – Elephants, Cheetahs, Mandrills, Hyenas, and Komodo dragons.

SCHEME B – Meerkats, Gelada baboons, Otters, Lemurs and Sun bears.

Close up image of male gelada baboon with mane

SCHEME C – Sealions, Amur tigers, Giraffe, Pygmy hippos, and Red river hogs.

Sealion sticking its face out of the water while swimming

Choose from the below experiences:

£210 14+ Years 1-2 people

Experience A

Keeper for the Day – Experience A Step into the boots of a keeper! Bursting with big personalities, this...

Elephants
Komodo Dragons
Cheetah
Hyena
Mandrill

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£210 14+ Years 1-2 people

Experience B

Keeper for the Day – Experience B Get closer than ever before! Embark on a journey around Colchester Zoo...

Meerkats
Gelada Baboons
Otters
Lemurs
Anteaters
Sun bears

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£210 14+ Years 1-2 people

Experience C

Keeper for the Day – Experience C Your chance to go behind the scenes! Travel around the zoo with...

Sealions
Amur Tigers
Pygmy Hippos
Giraffe
Red River Hogs

Find Out More

Reviews

I was a Zoo Keeper for the day today and it was brilliant! Thank you to Kirsty, Britney and Helen for giving me a day to remember and to other staff I met who were very friendly and welcoming...Next time I visit this lovely zoo (using my annual gold card) I will do so with a lot more understanding of both the animals I met and of how the staff take such good care of them. - Gill, February 2019

We have just been Keeper for the day and it was amazing. The staff have been there years and know everything about their animals they look after and see how much they care. They are well looked after and it was great to see what goes on behind the scenes and to be part of the experience was awesome. - Kelly, January 2019