Meet Penguin Keeper Shannon - SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton's Aquarium

Sunday 13^th September 2020

Penguin Keeper Shannon

Penguin Keepers at SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton’s Aquarium

In this series we'll be chatting with our resident penguin keepers to learn more about their role here at SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton’s Aquarium, and what got them interested in choosing this career path. Read on to learn more about the staff who ensure the health and wellbeing of our resident King and Gentoo penguins and get some insights into the people behind the uniform. Because unlike our resident penguins, it’s not always black and white.

Q: How did you landed this dream job?

A: It took a lot of patience and hard work to become a penguin keeper. I am super passionate about marine life and working at Kelly Tarlton's was a dream job so I applied for every single opening I could find here. I actually applied around 12 times for many different jobs at Kelly Tarlton's before I got an interview and was employed as a Guest Experience Host. From this role I gained valuable animal husbandry experience and with my background studying Marine Biology at University, I landed a role as a penguin keeper.

Q: What is your favourite part of the job?

A: My favourite part about being a penguin keeper is definitely being able to observe the penguins behaviour as they are such fascinating animals. I love watching how their behaviour changes at different times of the year and how they interact with each other. They are super funny animals and always bring a smile to my face.

Q: Who is the cheekiest penguin?

A: One of the cheekiest penguins is DJ who loves to bite anything he can reach. He is also super sneaky and tries to steal the microphone when we are presenting penguin talks!

Q: What is your favourite time of year as a penguin keeper?

A: I look forward to the King penguins catastrophic moult, especially when we have chicks who will be getting their adult feathers. The King penguin chicks look like 2 birds morphed into one as they shed their baby feathers and their adult feathers come through. The Kings also look super scruffy and sometimes they miss spots when preening themselves, like the top of their head which gives them a mohawk.