NEED TO KNOW
- Alex Simpson is a zookeeper at Whipsnade Zoo, a conservation zoo located near Dunstable in Bedfordshire, England
- He works with large hoofstock, meaning he interacts with rhinos, giraffes, hippos, and zebras on a daily basis
- Simpson always dreamed of working with animals, and loves every aspect of the job — except for when his coworkers, a.k.a. the animals, are stubborn.
Alex Simpson is living every kid’s dream.
More specifically, he’s been living his childhood dream. Simpson is a zookeeper of large hoofstock at Whipsnade Zoo located near Dunstable in Bedfordshire, England.
Every day, Simpson clocks into work and meets up with his team: white rhinos, giraffes, hippos, and zebras, in addition to other zookeepers.
“Growing up, I’d go to zoos, and the bigger the exotic wild animals were, the better. The giraffes, the rhinos, the hippos piqued my interest,” he tells PEOPLE.
Simpson credits watching The Lion King as a toddler for his love of animals. When he was younger, he used to line up all his plastic toys like in the movie, sing the songs, and ask his dad to hold him up just like Rafiki did to Simba.
The 30-year-old originally wanted to be a vet, but then got a job at a small zoo that changed everything. There, he learned that he wanted to be around the animals during their day-to-day, not just when they were sick and ailing.
Simpson worked with giraffes and hoofstock during his internship at Chester Zoo in the UK, which “reaffirmed that that was what I wanted to do.” He went to university to study zoo biology and to better understand animal nutrition, behavior, ethics, legislation, and anatomy, focusing on exotic, wild mammals in captivity. He also got his master’s degree in animal welfare, ethics, and law.
At Whipsnade Zoo — part of the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) conservation charity — he starts his day early and ensures every animal has all of its legs, is where it should be, and is fed. He admits the job’s physical requirements, like cleaning, can be arduous.
Aside from just loving animals, Simpson notes that you have to be just as comfortable around people to succeed as a zookeeper.
“People think they can do this job because they’re not great with people. Ultimately, I work on a team. It’s a potentially dangerous environment. It’s ever-changing and fast-paced. You’ve got to be a good communicator,” he says.
While most animals that Simpson works with are “well-behaved,” zookeepers still have to prepare for the unexpected.
“You work with animals, so even the regimented parts of the day are in their hands or hooves. It’s up to them how they want to run the day. Most animals are quite good, but we are tested by the younger ones sometimes.”
Since he works with the hoofstock, his “coworkers” are “impressive” but sometimes “stubborn.”
“They’re not very bright, and that’s why they’re prey,” he explains. “It’s a difficult combination because they are scared of everything. They’re wary of change, meaning you can’t move them to a different area to clean one area.”
“You put food in a different bucket, which terrifies them. My animals, they’re pretty, but they’re not intelligent,” he jokes.
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For aspiring zookeepers, he says, “Be aware of what the job entails.” He says the biggest challenges are the physical and messy aspects, and the fact that you have to work most holidays and weekends.
“We deal with the full spectrum of life. We deal with birth, sickness, injury, and, ultimately, death. It’s a messy job. It’s a physically demanding job,” Simpson shares. “You will not have every weekend off, you may have to move. Make sure you’re well-versed in what the job entails, and if you are, it is the best job in the world.”
Despite these challenges, Simpson has been working at the Whipsnade Zoo for over four years and loves knowing that his work makes an impact.
“We are a conservation zoo, and there’s a lot of research, science, and conservation. It’s nice to work somewhere with a modern approach in an established organization,” Simpson shares.
“The best part of my job is the animals. You get to see that spectrum, that full life, and you can impact that,” he continues. “There’s a cheesy saying in zookeeping: ‘The quality of your work is their quality of life.’ And it’s true. To play a part in an animal’s life, a potentially critically endangered animal, is special.”
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