Watch Toughest Summer Jobs on WTXL ABC 27 Wednesdays at 11 p.m. or Thursdays on WTXL Midday and vote for who you think has the Toughest Summer Job. Watch July 27th to see who takes home the trophy for This Year's Toughest Summer Job.
Tune in to see if zookeepers at Wild Adventure have the Toughest Summer Job on July 20th at 11 p.m.
VALDOSTA, Ga. (WTXL) -- When it’s Summertime it is also vacation time and Wild Adventures is a hot spot for friends and families.
Whether it is the tall roller coasters or the cute and cuddly animals, there’s something for everyone. And while animals like the capybaras, rheas, or alpacas are adorable, they’re not so easy to take care of.
Stephanie Scaffe is a Zookeeper at Wild Adventures. Her main priority, along with the other zookeepers there is the well-being of all the animals they house. "Basically, we're responsible for the welfare and the care of all the animals on the ground", she said, "That includes the husbandry, the feeding, the cleaning, all of that."
Scaffe says the job has its difficulties, adding "Not one person can do this by themselves [...] What we do, we do it every single day. They [animals] require it done every single day. They depend on us for their food, for their water, [and] for their shelter. So at the end of the day, one of the tougher things is that we have to go back through and re-make everything that we fed out that day."
Feeding these animals is no easy process. The zookeepers feed out a total of nine to twelve 5-gallon buckets each day. "When we feed out, we feed out not only grain, but several barrels of hay for every pin every day," said Scaffe.
That’s not all. The zookeepers feed the animals by hand, including any medication that animals need. “You want to make sure you're getting a good look at everybody every day", added Scaffe, "Because these guys, unfortunately, when something goes bad, you don't know it until its really bad. And then its hard to get them back. So you have to really stay on top of watching them and taking care of them and making sure they're eating and making sure they're pooping."
And after the animals eat their food? These brave zookeepers have to do a very dirty job: Cleaning up after nature calls. And the smell? Let's just say it is a doozy.
Even with the difficult deeds, the bonds the zookeepers create with the animals are priceless. "The best part is getting to spend the quality time with all these guys, all of them, every single day", said Scaffe, "It's what makes the job worthwhile."
With that perseverance, toleration, and love, Scaffe and the rest of the zookeepers at Wild Adventures are in the running for the title of: Toughest Summer Job.
