The Lion Queen

West Midlands Safari Park’s Lucy Ireland is a rare breed of young woman. The bubbly 30-year-old is among only a handful of specialist veterinary nurses privileged to be able get up close and personal on a daily basis with some of the world’s most exotic species at zoos and parks across the country. She talks to Jackie Jarvis about her love of animals, her fascinating and varied work where no day is ever the same, and the boundless energy and enthusiasm she has for her dream job.

Buster, a cute ball of feline fluff was in desperate need of some maternal care and attention after being rejected by his mother.

Unable to resist the charms of the orphaned cub Lucy bundled him up, took him home and set about becoming his surrogate mum.

The new arrival was welcomed with open paws by her three resident pet cats who were thrilled to be introduced to another purrfect playmate.

All was harmony in the household until Buster started to mature and the fur began to fly as he engaged in boisterous games with his new friends

All was harmony in the household until Buster started to mature and the fur began to fly as he engaged in boisterous games with his new friends. Thanks to Lucy her charge, a white tiger cub had thrived under her care which, in turn created its own catalogue of problems.

“Buster lived with me for six months while I bottle reared him,” she said. “He was able to roam freely around the house when I was at home. He was very playful and his teeth and claws did some damage to the furniture, and not least to me!”

Fortunately Lucy has a very understanding husband. Her partner Chris, whom she married last year, is zoo manager at the Discovery Trail area at the park and also presents the popular sea lion shows for visitors.

“He absolutely loved our little tiger cub,” she said. Buster was the result of a single birth which is unusual among the breed. White tigers are normally expected to produce a litter of between two and three cubs, Lucy explained.

“We gave the mother every chance to bond with him and accept him but she just wasn’t interested so we had no option but to step in to hand rear the little chap. We never interfere with nature unless we really have to,” she explained.

Two years on her ‘baby’ is fully grown and roaming around his own enclosure at the safari park – white tigers are naturally solitary creatures.

And that special bond between them is as strong as ever. “I had to stop going in with him when he was 11 months old,” she said “He’s still as daft as a brush but he plays rough. I was heartbroken when I had to part with him but when I visit him he rushes over to me and we have quite a chat with each other through the fence. He purrs and chirps away to me and I am able to give him a tickle through the wire.”

Shrewsbury born and bred, Lucy, a former pupil of the Wakeman School, originally harboured ambitions of becoming a fashion designer.

But a trip to Africa with a friend when she was 15 years old changed her direction in life forever.

“My friend’s father lived out there and it was during that visit that I totally fell in love with the exotic animals I saw,” she said.

With her heart now set on pursuing a career in this field she left school after taking her GCSEs and enrolled at Walford College where she worked towards her National Certificate in Animal Care.

During her studies she carried out regular work experience at the park for one day a week over a period of a year
“During this time I did everything from mucking out in my wellies and looking afteer the animals. I well and truly got the bug. I knew this was where I wanted to work,” she said.

Leaving college at 18 Lucy had to wait just six months before she was taken on at weekends at the park. “One of my first jobs was to man the gate at Monkey Jungle to stop the animals from escaping,” she said.

Lucy with her beloved Buster

When a position as an animal keeper came up Lucy grabbed the opportunity with both hands and gained experience working with a wide range of creatures including giraffes, lions, tigers and antelopes.

During those three years she became more and more involved with veterinary procedures and began to realise that this was a road she clearly wanted to go down.

"There is never an average day in this job. One day I could be helping to calve a giraffe and the next I could be trying to work out what’s wrong with an off-colour rhino"

Leaving to pursue her dream she finally qualified as a veterinary nurse after two years of a combination of practical and theoretical study, and was able to take up her new position at the park in 2005.

Now Lucy is the first port of call for any keepers concerned about the health of their charges.

“ There is never an average day in this job, “ she said. “One day I could be helping to calve a giraffe and the next I could be trying to work out what’s wrong with an off -colour rhino.”

She added that the park is able to call on two fantastic specialist vets should any emergencies occur among the 1,700 animals in residence.
urprisingly for a woman who is quite happy to share her home with a big cat Lucy does, however, have one phobia – she is frightened of spiders!