• Clean, feed and observe the animals.

• Produce daily written reports about the animals for their individual records (every resident at Brockswood has their own record detailing everything about them).

• Identify changes in behaviour that may indicate a change in health. 

• Carry out visual and physical health checks.

• Administer treatments and medications, and assist our veterinarians.

• Devise and provide animal enrichment.

• Assist our handyman with habitat design.

• All other elements of animal care - there is a lot more to it than you might think!

Feeding:
Like us, animals need a well-balanced diet to keep them fit and healthy. All of our animal diets are designed to provide well-balanced nutrition to each of our residents, as well as giving them the opportunity to exhibit natural behaviours such as grazing, browsing, or foraging for food. As some of our residents are unwell, or at different life stages, some of our diets are very specialised for that individual; for example, our older sheep require different levels of nutrients and food that is easier to chew as they have worn and lost some of their teeth.

As well as providing the correct diet, we deliver the animal diets in different ways including scatter feeding, hiding food, ice lollies, and hanging food.​

Veterinary Care:

We are covered by several specialised vets who care for our animals at the sanctuary.

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Many animals will try to hide signs of sickness because displaying them can make them easier for predators to spot, and so we carry out regular visual and physical health checks. If a team member thinks an animal is unwell, they will speak to the vet who will then assess the animal and provide any necessary treatments and care advice.

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Other veterinary responsibilities include devising an Annual Health Plan for our residents, including vaccinations, worming and other preventative measures. They also provide training and advice to our team so that we can provide a continued high standard of care and carry out routine care independently, such as administering injections, trimming hooves, providing first aid, and other specialised procedures such as Worm Egg Counts to monitor for internal parasites rather than risking building up resilience to wormers through unnecessary overuse.

Our vets also carry out bi-annual sanctuary inspections to keep an eye on our residents, provide suggestions, and advise us on any changes that may need to be made.