Surrounded by African meerkats, Brazilian iguanas and Madagascan lemurs – it’s all in a day’s work for wildlife presenter Michaela Strachan, who dropped into Rodbaston College today to launch its new degree in zoo animal management.

Strachan, who rose to fame as one of the presenters of children’s programme The Really Wild Show on the BBC, also paid a visit to Rodbaston’s new animal zone visitor centre, which houses hundreds of rare animals from porcupines to racoon dogs.

Since opening to the public a year ago the centre has seen thousands of visitors through its doors, all eager to catch a glimpse of the exotic residents.

The college’s latest pioneering degree course, a three year BSc in zoo animal management, is the first of its kind in the country, and is aimed at students hoping to pursue careers working with animals in zoos and safari parks.

Rodbaston, which offers courses in plants, animals, agriculture, construction and sport, has developed the degree in partnership with the University of Wolverhampton.

College principal Ralph Alcock said it was “fantastic” for the college to have Michaela Strachan launch the course. The Countryfile presenter, aged 42, was a regular on Saturday morning television programmes in the 1980s and 90s.

British band Scouting for Girls included an ode to the children’s TV favourite on their debut album; a hidden track entitled Michaela Strachan You Broke My Heart (When I was 12).