A herpetologist

A herpetologist is a zoologist who specializes in reptiles and amphibians. Dangerous Creatures is an uShaka Sea World exhibit in the Village Walk at uShaka Marine World. It displays snakes, lizards, frogs, crocodiles, scorpions and spiders. The aim of the Dangerous Creatures exhibit is to bring people closer to these amazing animals and to show them that these animals need not be feared. Each of the animals plays an important role in the complex web of life.

Dangerous Creatures at uShaka Sea World employs four herpetologists who take care of the animals in the exhibit. Their day starts with a round of cleaning! All the enclosures have to be cleaned, and the windows cleaned every day to get the exhibits ready for opening time when the guests start coming through. Each animal is on a special diet and the food has to be prepared according to their needs! Freddie, the Green Iguana, only gets the freshest greens and strawberries from the best suppliers while other animals need crickets or cockroaches, which are bred on site in a back of house quarantine area.

The herpetologists attend departmental meetings and conduct a weekly health walk with the resident veterinarian to discuss the health of each animal. When all the morning tasks have been completed and Dangerous Creatures is open to the public, the herpetologists go to the Back of House area where the animals that are not on display are housed. Rats, mice, crickets and cockroaches for feeding are housed here and their containers have to be cleaned too. Strict hygiene practices are adhered to in this area to ensure that the highest standards of cleanliness are maintained.

The Back of House area houses extra animals who relax away from the public and sick animals who are nutured back to health. If an animal has injured itself or is not feeding, it is brought to this area to be nursed back to health under the watchful eye of the staff.

Certain of the animals in Dangerous Creatures need exercise and sunlight. The Green iguana and the Bearded dragons are taken out for regular walks to stretch and enjoy the sunlight. It is not an unusual sight to see one of the herpetologists walking the Green iguana on a harness through the Village Walk or with a Bearded dragon on her shoulder nuzzling her neck. This always causes great interest from the public who are allowed to touch and interact with the animal while learning more about it.

As with any facility that keeps animals, no two days are the same and every day brings new surprises. The herpetologists may find that eggs have been laid during the night or that babies have hatched while they have been busy with another animal. The eggs are often removed to be incubated in the Back of House area or the babies removed to be grown out until they can be put on display.

A herpetologist needs to have an interest in reptiles and amphibians and must not be afraid to handle the animals. A Bachelor of Science degree with Zoology as a major or previous experience in a similar facility is a recommendation for people who would like to work in this exciting environment.