ABOUT US
AnimalEd is an animal education company founded by Charlotte ‘Charlie’ Blackmore and Tiana Field. With a focus on welfare, fun and education, AnimalEd is a reflection of the co-founders’ own core values and beliefs.
The goal is to educate people of all ages, inspiring everyone to connect with nature in their own way. What better way to do that than by meeting and learning about these animals in a fun and engaging setting? That’s where AnimalEd comes in.
OUR STORY
In 2015, Tiana and Charlie met at Sparsholt College, With a mixture of hard work and humour, they made it through, and an idea started growing: what if they had the opportunity to work with animals every day while also getting people excited about wildlife?
After graduating, Charlie went to university to study Wildlife Biology and something finally prompted her to message Tiana with a simple proposition – what if their animal education idea wasn’t just a pipe dream?
Cue three years of trying to balance work, university assignments and all manner of other things with researching for their new venture! After Charlie graduated university with a First Class Honours degree (BSc), it was time to really knuckle down, and life became filled to the brim with meetings, countless books, three separate business courses, learning new things and trying to figure out how to make the business work. Let’s just say, it’s a good thing we love what we do!
And that brings us to the present. After all that hard work and stubborn determination – here we are!
MEET THE TEAM
AnimalEd is run by two young women with a background in animal care. We are eager to help educate people and celebrate animals in a variety of ways - check out the Workshops page to find out how. To learn more about the team, read on!
Charlotte 'Charlie' Blackmore
Birthday: 26th December (yep! Boxing Day!)
Role: Head of Exotics, Executive Director and Co-Founder of AnimalEd
Experience: As well as having an Extended Diploma in Animal Management and a BSc (HONS) degree in International Wildlife Biology, Charlie also has plenty of experience working directly with animals in many different capacities, including zoos, vets, a farm, other animal collections in the UK, and an animal rescue centre in Costa Rica! She also gained experience working with kids of all ages when she worked at the farm, and later as an assistant football coach.
Fun fact: Charlie absolutely loves Disney and musicals – thankfully, Tiana does too, so Charlie’s showtunes aren’t annoying when they have to share an office!
STORY
Charlie has been into animals since she could walk and talk. On holidays, she would be the kid sitting by the pool building bridges for the ants so they didn’t drown. This passion for wildlife only increased as Charlie grew older and learned more and more, and was always encouraged by her parents.
She travelled as much as possible, learned everything she could, and would even spend her lunchtimes at school with her nose buried in various wildlife books. She followed her passion and went to Sparsholt College to further her animal studies instead of a more 'traditionally academic' path. With various animal care roles in voluntary and paid capacities in England and Costa Rica, she also studied Animal Management and then Wildlife Biology BSc.
QUALIFICATIONS AND AWARDS
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First Class Honours degree in International Wildlife Biology, BSc
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Distinction* Level 3 Extended Diploma in Animal Management
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College Award for Special Endeavour (for research into the nutritional requirements of the Giant Pacific octopus)
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Training Project of the Year 2017 (for training project with Jazz, the Malayan black hornbill)
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Safer Recruitment trained
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Full UK Driving licence
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Fully DBS checked
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Fully insured and licensed for animal experiences
Tiana Field
Birthday: 15th August
Role: AnimalEd Keeper and Co-Founder
Experience: Tiana not only has an Extended Diploma in Animal Management but has also worked as a stable hand and regularly rides horses! She also worked at a doggy day care and is now an accredited positive reinforcement dog trainer with many years of experience.
Fun fact: Tiana used to be a figure skater and had a gold-level certification (Dancing on Ice, anyone?). When you can spin at 80 revolutions per minute, there’s not much that can make your head spin! She loves Scooby Doo and can quote a ridiculous amount of it. Luckily, Charlie full endorses Scooby Doo on lunch breaks. What a cool boss!
STORY
Tiana has loved being around animals for as long as she can remember. Her first word was even ‘duck’! When she was 9, she got her first dog, a very clever border collie who helped her discover her love of animal training. She worked hard to get into Sparsholt College where she realised she could train more than just dogs!
After graduating, she worked with a top positive reinforcement dog trainer, but never forgot her passion for all other species and the way they communicate with us. This led her to seek out a way to help everyone better understand the amazing animals we share our world with.
QUALIFICATIONS AND AWARDS
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Distinction* Level 3 Extended Diploma in Animal Management
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2 times accredited dog trainer
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APDT Trainer
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Canine CPR trained
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St. John Ambulance first aid trained
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Full UK Driving licence
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Fully DBS checked
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Fully insured and licensed for animal experiences
MEET THE ANIMALS
SCOOBY
Species: Royal python (Python regius)
Age: 5 years
Likes: Climbing, exploring, dark and warm areas, being nosey
Dislikes: Very bright lights (yikessssss), the cold
Story: Scooby was originally Charlie’s pet/university roommate, but later became a part-time animal educator, too! He’s great with new people, very gentle, well-behaved and inquisitive. ‘Normal’ coloured royal pythons are often overlooked and devalued because they don’t have fancy colours, but we know that Scooby’s value comes from his amazing personality and the way he has helped so many people overcome their fear or hesitance about snakes! Not to mention, he’s beautiful just the way he is.
MIA
Species: Mexican red rump tarantula (Tliltocatl vagans)
Age: Unknown, most likely about 7-8 years.
Likes: Locusts, burrowing, making lots of webs in her enclosure
Dislikes: Fast movements, being picked up
Story: Mia was given to Charlie by a friend when he felt like he couldn’t quite look after her any more due to lifestyle changes. At first, she was a little skittish, but over time she has learned to trust and doesn’t worry at all when people go into her enclosure to feed her, check on her, or fill up her water bowl anymore. That’s progress! Now she gets to go to new places and teach people that you don’t have to be scared of spiders.
LEGS
Species: Brazilian black tarantula (Grammostola pulchra)
Age: Unknown, we estimate approx. 3 years
Likes: Digging, handling, chilling
Dislikes: Confrontation, bright lights
Story: Legs came to us from a family friend whose brother sadly passed away, resulting in his tarantulas needing a new home. We were lucky enough to be asked to rescue them, and have since welcomed both Legs and Bahia into the AnimalEd family. Bahia will not go out on visits as she is not a 'people person' - Legs, on the other hand, is a wonderful spider to handle! Welcome to the team, girls!
MILEY
Species: Giant African millipede (Archispirostreptus gigas)
Age: Unknown, we estimate around 2 years
Likes: Burrowing and making tunnels, the dark
Dislikes: Too-dry soil
Story: Miley joined the AnimalEd team in 2021 and fit right in from the moment she arrived. She's always been wonderful with people: lovely, calm and easy to handle. She's often 'off display', burrowing away in her enclosure, making tunnels and sleeping the day away. It's alright for some!
OTTER
Species: Domestic ferret (Mustela putorius furo)
Age: Around 2 years
Likes: Sleeping, being a menace
Dislikes: Too many cuddles, being woken up
Story: Otter is our resident male ferret, and he is a total law unto himself. Like his gal pals, he is a rescue, and he was found wandering the streets as a stray! Poor thing. Nowadays, he lives the life of luxury, playing, eating and sleeping the day away. He isn't quite as people-oriented as the girls, but he's a great cuddler when he's tired and he has an absolutely huge personality! If Otter isn't sleeping, he's either annoying the girls or up to some other sort of trouble.
BADGER
Species: Domestic ferret (Mustela putorius furo)
Age: Around 2 years
Likes: Climbing, exploring, sitting on people's shoulders
Dislikes: Not being allowed to explore, loud squeaks
Story: Little Badger is a fairly small female ferret. Affectionately called the 'apatosaurus' or 'vampire' on the group, Like her friends, she came to us as a rescue and was a stray just like Otter. Badger has a particularly long neck and particularly long canine teeth! However, she is probably the gentlest ferret in the group, and perhaps the most inquisitive, too! She absolutely loves to explore, climb, and sniff her way around all over the place. In true ferret form, though, she loves a good nap!
FISHER
Species: Domestic ferret (Mustela putorius furo)
Age: Around 2 years
Likes: Cuddles, people, food
Dislikes: Being left out
Story: Another well-loved rescue, Fisher is probably our sweetest ferret! She absolutely adores people and always seems to want a cuddle, or at least to give you a good sniff. She'd hang out with the AnimalEd keepers all day long if she could! She also loves to play - whether that's by herself, with her ferret friends, or with her human friends. She's not picky! Her favourite toy is her Kong. She loves to meet new people and always makes a great impression.
MINK
Species: Domestic ferret (Mustela putorius furo)
Age: Around 3 years
Likes: Long naps, anything cosy, sneak attacking her friends
Dislikes: Being woken up
Story: Mink may be teeny, but she is in fact our oldest ferret and is actually Fisher's mother! She is also our only non-albino ferret. Mink is small, and when she came to us she was very sickly. Fortunately, she has made some amazing improvements and she is now happy, healthy, and ready to head out on visits! While she may love sleeping, she also loves sneak attacking her ferret friends, and she can easily put even big Otter in his place! Good for you, Minky!
DOODLES
Species: Western hognose snake (Heterodon nasicus)
Age: 4 years
Likes: Giving an attitude, burrowing, going up sleeves
Dislikes: Being surprised, people invading his space
Story: Doodles is an ex-breeder. For the first few years of his life, his 'purpose' was to reproduce, allowing more hognose snakes to hatch. He was recently retired, and then came to live here with us at AnimalEd, where he has a lovely custom-built enclosure and can visit all kinds of people to teach them about snakes. And look at his adorable little hoggy nose!
CLIFFORD
Species: Kenyan sand boa (Gongylophis colubrinus)
Age: 3 years
Likes: The dark, basking, being warm
Dislikes: Bright lights
Story: Clifford came to AnimalEd in 2021 at the same time as Doodles. He also has his own custom-built enclosure and enjoys spending his days burrowing, climbing, basking and exploring. He's still learning how to cope well with handling, but he is doing wonderfully and will be ready to go out on visits in no time!
