07
Dawn Nicholl,
BSc (Hons) Biology, 2007
Did you always want to become a zookeeper?
“No. I knew that I wanted to work with animals when
I started my course but didn’t have a specific area in
mind. Jobs at the zoo were advertised throughout
my course, and this is what turned my attention to
it as a career.”
What skills learned at Edinburgh Napier have you
transferred into your working life?
“One of the aspects of my job is to create and
present talks/lectures to a variety of different
audiences, including visiting public and academics.
The presentation skills I gained during my time at
Napier, delivering subject talks, has been essential
in my ability to conduct them in my work place.”
Do you have a favourite memory from your time at
Edinburgh Napier?
“Trips with the course were always a highlight
including visits to the zoo and Millport. My favourite
memory is our trip to the Algarve. This not only
played a vital role in the development of my field skills
but helped develop friendships that I still have today.”
What is a typical work day at Edinburgh Zoo?
“A normal day consists of enclosure husbandry,
food prep, behavioural training, enrichment and
behavioural observations. It’s really easy on the
primate section for the day to turn on its head.
There can be many reasons for this such as an
animal giving birth, falling ill or getting injured.”
What is your favourite part of your job? And your
favourite animal to work with.
“I love the behavioural analysis side of my job ie
watching how the animals’ behaviour can change or
develop, and gain an understanding into what this
behaviour indicates. As a socially complex species
I enjoy working with the Yellow-breasted capuchins.”
What has been your proudest moment in your
career so far?
“Six years ago we had a Black Howler monkey that
was orphaned at four days old, when his mum sadly
passed away. In this instance the neonates genetics
were extremely important and we decided to hand
rear. We managed this with great success and he was
eventually introduced back into his family group. Last
year he was sent to Singapore zoo where he was
paired with a female and is now a father.”