Swindon's New College opens animal management centre
The site has several new enclosures from tarantulas to axolotls
New College in Swindon has officially opened a new Animal Management Centre on its North Star campus.
Following £200,000 worth of investment, the new facility includes marine tanks and enclosures for chinchillas, tortoises, spiders, and snakes to name a few.
The state-of-the-art facility also has stainless steel facilities and tabletops for the future vet nurses of Swindon to receive training in animal care.
Corrine is a lecturer in Animal Management at New College: "For us here in Swindon, we’re really lucky with this.
“It’s definitely a specialist provision – we’re just really chuffed with how the course has gone and seeing the students and what they’re going to go on and do.”
The official opening event last night (10th October) bought together academics, students and college staff in celebration of the new space.
BBC journalist and News Reader Alex Lovell was there to cut the ribbon and launch proceedings.
“The students have gone from working in a reworked nursery to something like this! – It’s so forward looking,” Alex said, “a student learning here I don’t think would be phased if they then got a job in a veterinary surgery for example.”
A patron for Wags – a charity for retired police dogs – Alex Lovell was keen to support the students and their future with animals:
“They could possibly be saving species – I mean they’ve got some in there in the centre that are endangered. That’s incredible work!
“That’s a real responsibility when you’re just training, to look after something in the real world.”
The animal management course is popular within the college and growing year upon year.
Students I spoke to are hopeful vets, conservationists, marine biologists and dog groomers.
Maddy is a second-year student training to be a zookeeper: “I’ve never seen myself be anything else – not since primary.
"I’ve always loved animals and it’s quite exciting seeing it change – it’s been nice to be involved.
“Just today I set up an axolotl enclosure! It’s really fun.”
And Maddy’s friend Jodie feels the same – she wanted to work in animal management when she found out a giraffe had to be put down because there wasn’t a zoo who would take care of it.
“Since I was a child I loved animals – I never wanted a giraffe to go through that again,” Jodie said.
Jodie wants to protect species often left forgotten, which is why the new centre is a big deal for her and her course mates:
“You have so many unique creatures and you can work with all of them.
“There’s a lot of animals that are overlooked.
"You always hear about dogs and cats but you never hear about giraffes or endangered spiders, or endangered snakes and I just want to be that person that can save those animals.”
This isn’t the end of developments for the centre.
Next spring will see phase 2 – an outside area that will house additional animals, including prairie dogs and an aviary for Rainbow Lorikeet.