Advanced Ranger Academy

The Advanced Ranger Academy course is designed for both students wanting to complete the residential section of the DofE Gold Award, and those who are interested in a career path within the animal industry or looking for veterinary work experience.

The course provides students with exclusive opportunities of real-life, hands-on practical experiences; including behind-the-scenes access and working with the Yorkshire Wildlife Park veterinary surgeon. Students will also get the chance to work with the YWP team across all animal sections.

The department has won British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) education awards for this course.

What's involved

• practical experiences with the YWP staff team across all animal sections
• getting up close and personal with a range of animals
• behind-the-scenes with the vet team and animal manager
• animal enrichment workshops
• animal training and behaviour workshops
• presentations on the 'Wild Live' stage
• graduation ceremony

What's included

• accommodation and all meals
• transport from and to Winchester (if required)
• all transfers to and from the zoo
• 2 free tickets for friends/family worth £60. This is to watch the graduation ceremony on Friday, but this includes the opportunity to stay and spend the rest of the day at the zoo for free
• theory-based tasks and practical zoo experience, with a focus on key transferable skills
• a portfolio of evidence and written reference from the zoo stating your hours of work experience for animal/vet related applications

It was brilliant to spend a week with animals and a lovely group of like-minded people, with great instructors too. Very varied activities during the day - especially seeing the lions close up and being able to feed the polar bears! Felt like a family after a week. It was also incredibly useful for me as it gave me a greater understanding of the exotic field of veterinary medicine study, and the general husbandry of wild animals in captivity