New animals join wallabies and meerkats as Suffolk Rural welcomes new species to its animal studies department
A college was bouncing with joy earlier in the year when it welcomed a baby wallaby to their ranks.
Then recently, staff and students from Suffolk New College’s Suffolk Rural campus were squeaking with excitement having given two capybara’s a new home.
The wallaby and capybara’s are now residing at the educational establishment’s newly revamped animal centre that recently enjoyed a £500k makeover.
The animals have joined a host of other species that currently include everything from meerkats to mice.
Other recent additions include a Cuban hutia called Gus. The college is the only one in the country to have this breed in captivity.
Many of the new additions are thanks to an ongoing partnership with Jimmy’s Farm & Wildlife Park and the main reason behind the influx of new species is to give students new skills and experiences.
It is also hoped that one day the college will become a visitor attraction, and it is currently going through the process of acquiring a zoo licence.
But for now, the focus is all on helping the cute creatures settle into their new surroundings.
Helen Pearson is a lecturer and animal centre manager. She said: “The students learn how to clean, feed and observe all of our new arrivals and how to work around different breeds. The wallaby is now out of the pouch and the capybara’s came last week – and they have been settling in well. They are getting more confident and slowly showing their personalities. For people who don’t know the breed, they are basically giant guinea pigs. They are the world’s largest rodent. It’s really exciting times for animal studies and we have more new arrivals planned in the future including a primate enclosure.”
Jake MCcormack, 18, from Stowmarket is on a level one animal care course. His favourite animal is Bowser the giant tortoise. On his time at Suffolk Rural, Jake said: “I’m enjoying the experiences we are having with the animals. I’ve always wanted to work with them since I was younger. Hearing the investment and seeing all the animals is a great improvement. So far my time here has been amazing.”
Layla Osborn, 18, from Ipswich is on the same course as Jake. Layla said: “I’ve worked with animals my whole life and I’ve really enjoyed that and want to work with them in the future. The college is helping me decide what I’m going to do next. I’ve learnt a lot here and I enjoy it. You make new friends and the animals also become your friends.
My favourite animal is a Leopard gecko called Dave.”