WORKING IN PARADISE
Of all the beautiful parts of the US that my animal career has taken me, my favorite has to be Kanab, Utah, home of Best Friends Animal Society. Located in the southern part of the state seven miles from the Arizona border, Kanab sits right in the heart of red rock canyon country. It's a stone's throw from Zion and Bryce Canyon National park and the sanctuary itself borders the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Look in any direction and you're visually assaulted with scenery so magnificent that it almost takes your breath away. The population of this lovely little town is about 4500 people and the nearest city is an hour and a half away. It took me a while to adjust to the small town western lifestyle, but after a few months, I grew to love the remoteness and slower pace of day-to-day living.
To be honest, I discovered Best Friends by accident while looking for employment on the internet. I was between Zoo jobs and wanted to try something a bit different to test my skills and broaden my experience in the animal world. The sanctuary had a number of positions that I felt qualified for, so I contacted them, sent my resume, and a week later was offered a two-week trial position to see if the fit was good for both of us. That is standard procedure for Best Friends and I think it works well for both parties. Living in a small remote town with limited services and entertainment may not be suitable for everyone, but most of the folks who end up staying are treated to endless sightseeing, hiking, mountain biking, and a daily overload of animals, both wild and domesticated.
During my two-week trial, I was asked to work with rabbits, cats, and dogs, and was pleased to be offered full-time employment in all of those areas of the Sanctuary. I chose rabbits because I liked how the Bunny House was set up and managed. Because rabbits are one of my favorite animals, working with 200 of them on a daily basis would be challenging and fun. I headed back to Iowa, loaded my meager belongings, my rabbit Cinder and my parrot Ika, and then headed back to Utah a couple of weeks later.
Upon my arrival in Kanab, I discovered that my services were also being sought after by the manager of Horse Haven, another area of the sanctuary. She had seen my extensive horse resume and wanted me to fill the newly-created position of Volunteer Coordinator at Horse Haven. After much haggling between the managers, it was decided that I would spend the first 3 weeks at Bunny House and then transfer permanently to the position in horses. Fortunately for me, during the next two years, the opportunity to fill in at rabbits whenever they were short-handed was available and I eagerly took it. The best of both worlds!
My job as Volunteer Coordinator was easily one of the best in my animal career. Best Friends welcomes many thousands of volunteers a year from around the world. These people spend their own money on travel, for accommodations at the sanctuary or in Kanab, and for all of their expenses during their stay. This typically ranges from a few days to a week or more.
At any given time, the sanctuary has approximately 800 dogs, 700 cats, 200 parrots, 200 rabbits, 35 pot-bellied pigs, 50 horses, an assortment of goats and sheep, and a variable number of wild creatures being rehabilitated for future release. The organization owns 7,000 acres of land and leases another 34,000 acres from the BLM; making it the largest protected animal sanctuary in North America. All animals who reside in this state-of-the-art facility have permanent homes until they are adopted.
People on staff in the administration department, as well as in animal care, come from all walks of life. Many have had successful careers in other fields and have sought out a more peaceful, natural lifestyle working for the animals. Some of them have stayed for years; others leave after a few months. All of the collective workforces do an amazing job of caring for this vast assortment of animals. Needless to say, there is always more and more to do. Socialization, exercise, facility maintenance, and daily cleaning are areas where volunteers play an enormously beneficial role at the Sanctuary.
My daily responsibilities involved welcoming and organizing new volunteers, instructing them on proper work technique and safety around the horses, and cleaning the lower paddocks. Afterward, I would take them up Angel Canyon to clean the six beautiful, natural pastures where we kept more horses. Last, but not least, was to make sure everyone had a great time and enjoyed the incredible scenery. That was the easy part and we always succeeded. Many of these good people had never been around horses, so my daily goal was to provide them with a new-found appreciation of our 4-legged Utah beauties, and of Best Friends.
I take great pride in knowing that I was successful during my two years there, and feel grateful for the opportunity to have met some amazing people from around the globe. I encourage anyone who loves animals to take a look at Best Friends, consider supporting the work they do, then go there and volunteer. Or perhaps apply for a job. It will change your life. It certainly changed mine!
by Steve Hanssen
