A Roaring Success

Roaring Success – Gemma at work at Longleat and some of her large feline charges. She spends ten hours a day in close company with lions, wolves and tigers and says the latter are the naughtiest of the lot.
 
Kingston Maurward College graduate Gemma Gumbleton has been an animal keeper at Longleat Safari Park since March.
 
The 25-year-old from Shaftesbury says she never imagined she’d end up caring for dangerous wild animals although she admits she’s always had a soft spot for creatures – her pets at home include reptiles.
 
“I wouldn’t change my job for anything – it’s an amazing opportunity,” said Gemma.
 
“You get very attached to the animals because they all have such individual characters. The tigers are the naughtiest.
 
“The three sisters in an enclosure together love chasing cars, but it’s all playing really.”
 
Gemma achieved a first class BSC in Animal Behaviour and Welfare at the Dorchester campus, adding to a Foundation Degree in the same subject and Advanced National Certificate in Animal Management also at the college.
 
But it took her six months of dedicated job searching to land her dream job.
 
“Because of the current climate I was sending CVs all over the world to anything containing the word ‘animal’,” she said.
 
“I was working at an equine hospital in Sherborne – the Kingston Veterinary Group – when I heard back from Longleat.”
 
Lecturer Fiona Roberts says she’s very proud of Gemma’s motivation finding work and her enthusiasm during her four years at the college.
 
“Working with animals is a popular and highly satisfying career choice,” she said.
 
“You could rescue ill-treated animals, care for elephants in a wildlife park, groom dogs in a salon, assist vets in delicate operations or even run your own pet store.”