A TOP Welsh comedian swapped stand-up for clean-up duties last week after taking part in work experience at the Welsh Mountain Zoo.

Rhod GIlbert visited the Colwyn Bay zoo for a taste of life as a zookeeper.

During his three days he got up close and personal with a number of rare and endangered species including snow leopards, European brown bears, Californian sea lions and Bactrian camels.

The visit was filmed for a forthcoming episode of BBC Wales’ Rhod Gilbert's Work Experience series, due to air later this year.

The zoo’s collection manager Peter Litherland said the 43 year old funnyman impressed keepers with his animal handling skills.

“He took everything in his stride and wasn't fazed by the challenges we threw at him,” he said.

“We were really impressed with his efforts to present not only a sea lion show but also a chimpanzee show - it takes months to tell each chimpanzee apart but he picked up on their names and characteristics really quickly.

“We really enjoyed Rhod's time at the Zoo and can't wait to see the show later in the year."

As well as presenting the sea lion and chimpanzee shows, Rhod helped clean and trim the hooves of two Przewalski's wild horses, prepare a seven kilo fish lunch for the zoo’s humboldt penguins and released a rescued seal back into the wild after a short stay at the zoo for care and rehabilitation.