A BURNLEY woman fulfilled a childhood ambition as she went behind the scenes at one of the country’s biggest zoos.

Wendy Holden became a zoo keeper for a day, at Dudley Zoological Gardens (DZG) where she was responsible for endangered lemurs, which are her favourite animals.

She said: “The whole day was just great. I got to work alongside the experienced zoo keepers.

“I also spent a lot of time with the rare lemurs at the zoo which was very memorable.

“Seeing how things operate on a daily basis was a fantastic experience.”

Bosses at the 40-acre site set up the scheme to give people the opportunity to get first-hand experience of animal care.

DZG chief executive, Peter Suddock, said: “Wendy had a fantastic time when she was here.

“The “Keeper for a day” project has really taken off here, in fact, the staff are fully booked until summer with requests from all over the country.

“Not only is it a unique day to remember working alongside some of the rarest animals in the world, but funds raised through the scheme support exciting conservation and animal projects at DZG.”

During her day, Wendy was also given the chance to see some of the other animals at DZG which include Sumatran tigers, Asiatic lions, red pandas as well as tapirs and giraffes.