Abi Clarke: Zookeeper in Training

Has Abi Clarke done enough to earn her stripes as Chester Zoo’s newest zookeeper? She’s survived six weeks of rhino poo, crocodile encounters, and relocating flamingos. But the finish line isn’t quite in sight yet.

Before she graduates there’s a pregnant sifaka on the brink of giving birth, some freshly hatched chicks that need weighing and it's time to enter the bat cave.

Because nothing tests your zookeeper potential like hundreds of flying mammals and the smell of bat wee.

When the team asked Abi if there were any animals she was scared of, she said “Crocodile, obviously.” So today… she’s meeting one. Kind of. Maybe. It’s complicated. Is it a crocodile? A gharial? A false gharial? You’ll have to listen to find out.

But that's just the start. Until now, Abi’s had it pretty easy. Otters, sloths, and casually lobbing grapes at a cassowary. But the real work is about to begin.

She’s elbow-deep in rhino poo and scrambling up cliffs for ibis eggs, all under the watchful eye of a vulture called Ethyl.

Stop the press. We've found a chameleon wearing a waistcoat. And he's ready for the catwalk.

While this fashionable reptile steals the show with his very stylish choices, on the other side of the zoo, there's some big news about some HUGE new arrivals.

And we take a visit to the vet, to hear about STDs, haemorrhoids and a group of chimpanzees using their babies as shields.

Week 3 and it's time to meet the unexpected icons of the zoo. The underdogs. The animals you didn't have on your bingo card.

Abi kicks things off by meeting the Brad Pitt of Komodo Dragons. And traumatising some children in the process.

Then it's back to Keeper Jonathan from the bird team who's on hand to introduce some of Chester's most fabulous feathered residents.

Plus, Abi meets a tortoise who's made more headlines than most celebs. And quite frankly, deserves every one of them.

It's Week 2 and it's time to turn things up a notch.

First stop: Sloth training with Keeper Sophie. Move over Dua Lipa, Rico's training season is just getting started. And he's doing it at his own pace.

Then, Keeper Zoe introduces us to a huge bird that could probably win a fight against a dinosaur, provided the dinosaur didn't distract it with grapes. And finally, Adam is meeting us in a car park to show us how some converted caravans are saving species globally.