You Can Be A Zookeeper For A Day In Webster

Photo by Chase Sanctuary and Wildlife Conservancy, 501-C | Facebook

*Uncovering Florida is in no way affiliated with Chase Sanctuary and receives no commissions from sales.*

Are you an animal lover? Have you ever wondered what it would be like to run a zoo? If this sounds like you, then you might like to shadow a zookeeper at Chase Sanctuary.

Chase Sanctuary is currently offering anyone above the age of 16 the opportunity to shadow one of its zookeepers for the day as the zookeeper goes through a daily routine of feeding, socializing, providing enrichment for, cleaning, and caring for the zoo animals. The sanctuary states that through this experience,“You will get to see first hand all it takes to help insure the safety and preservation of some of our endangered animal friends and more.”

This behind-the-scenes program costs $195 for one day on either a Wednesday or Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Visit the Chase Sanctuary website here to book the experience. 

In addition, Chase Sanctuary has a range of other experiences throughout each week, including Painting With Primates on Sundays and Fridays, Lemur And Friends Interactive Group Tour on Saturdays, Lemur and Friends Private Tour For Two on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays; Lemur Yoga on Saturdays, and Chase After Dark - Nocturnal Tour on some Fridays. Prices range from $75-250, and tickets for these activities can be purchased here.

A sloth/anteater experience can be added on to Lemur Yoga, a group tour, or Painting With Primates for $50 per person. This experience can be booked here.

Chase Sanctuary is a non-profit organization, and its mission is to “help preserve critically endangered species through sharing of data, animals and resources with other zoological facilities, thereby helping to reduce the threat of extinction”. As a 501(c), Chase Sanctuary also offers volunteer and internship opportunities. 

Volunteers must be at least 16 years old if completing service hours for the Bright Futures Scholarship. Otherwise, volunteers must be18 years old or older. Duties may include socializing, exercising, training, and feeding animals; cleaning habitats and pens, and helping to spread awareness. 

To apply to be a volunteer, fill out an application here and pay the $25 application fee here. This fee covers the cost of a handbook and a Chase t-shirt that must be worn during your volunteer hours. 

Interns will get to work side-by-side with the sanctuary’s zookeepers to care for, monitor, and observe the animals, in addition to helping educate the public about conservation and endangered species. Internships last for three weeks and include free on-site housing, a small stipend, hands-on experience with endangered primate species, and the opportunity to work with more than 15 species of birds, reptiles, and mammals. 

Interns are hosted through Beacon College’s Career Immersion Program (CIP) in partnership with Chase Sanctuary. A list of current interns with a synopsis of their experience at Chase Sanctuary is available on the sanctuary website. Email Chase Sanctuary at [email protected] to inquire about becoming an intern.

If you want to get involved in a different way, you can donate here, sponsor an animal here, or send gifts to the sanctuary for its animals through its Amazon wish list, Walmart registry, or Chewy registry.

Article by Ema Tibbetts