AMOTHER-OF-TWO will leave the comforts of the North East to care for exotic animals on an African game reserve.

Kimberly Carr, who is working towards an animal management diploma, will come face-to-face with pythons, wildebeest and rhinos on her placement at UmPhafa nature reserve in KwaZulu Natal in South Africa.

The 43-year-old, of Cramlington, Northumberland, is in her second year at East Durham College’s Houghall Campus and will spend four weeks at the 4,500 hectare reserve caring for the animals housed there.

Mature student Kim originally trained as a hairdresser when she left school and then went on to work for over 10 years as cabin crew with KLM, but animals were always her passion.

And she’s now due to live her dream in Africa at the end of March.

She said: “When I was cabin crew, wherever I stayed I would always go and visit the local zoo, and that was how I came across the scheme run by Colchester Zoo at their UmPhafa private nature reserve. I said to my husband that it would be really great to go.

“I’ve always had animals and at the moment I have tortoises, two Staffordshire bull terriers, African grey parrots and loads of fish and when I was younger I always wanted to be a vet or veterinary nurse.