Animal magic

Since being taken over by award-winning Bedford College, Shuttleworth College in Central Bedfordshire is enjoying the national limelight. While Bedford College is already famed for its educational expertise, Shuttleworth has been quietly getting on with job. Now the two are working together to improve opportunities and experiences for students, and now courses from agriculture and art to zoology are available under the Bedford College banner.

New to Bedford College is the area of animal care and leading the way is Carl Groombridge, manager of the Animal Care Centre at Shuttleworth College, who has an infectious enthusiasm about animal welfare, habitats and breeding programmes.   

The Animal Care Centre is home to just about every family of species in the world and habitats include a tropical rainforest setting where the sounds of the forest give an added dimension to the environment.

Students come here to learn about animal husbandry, how to create and build habitats from scratch to meet wildlife standards and develop breeding programmes. The aim is to give students a taste of all aspects of animal welfare and management in preparation for careers from practical hands-on jobs to highly academic research and scientific opportunities.

Carl explained: “We offer students the chance to develop their practical skills whilst working in a stimulating environment. We have a wide range of exotic species from amphibians, invertebrates, small mammals and reptiles, to birds and larger animals.  

“The Animal Care Centre is rich with species and this is something that Ofsted recently commented on.

“Our links with the zoological industry gives our students an added advantage and they are encouraged to design and build habitats for animals that include the unusual and exotic so that their knowledge and skills are stretched.

“Practical learners benefit a great deal from hands on experience of caring for animals and we are pleased to welcome all students on visits during years 10 and 11.

“From the moment students arrive to study at the Animal Care Centre they are on a learning curve that can open up opportunities to them in the animal world, some of which they would never have thought possible.”

Students working with lizards recently saw the full circle of the breeding programme, from incubation of eggs to the thrill of seeing them hatch. They work with animals including Chilean bird eating spiders, giant albino snails, chameleons, geckos, meerkats, snakes, rodents, llamas, emus, alpacas and many more including the more usual farm animals such as pigs. Furthermore, the Centre will soon welcome a new visitor – Goliath, the world's biggest bug!