Thank You, Sanctuary Caregivers, for Your Life-Changing Work!

June 13th marks Animal Sanctuary Caregiver Day, and here at Born Free, we have so much appreciation for our incredible sanctuary team.

While working with our wonderful sanctuary residents may sound like a dream job – and in many ways it is – it is also challenging. Today we share the top five things we love most about our fantastic team!

1. Our caregivers treat every monkey as an individual

We care for more than 200 monkeys at our sanctuary and each one of them is an individual with needs specific to them. Whether they have a particular health condition that requires monitoring or treatment, complex social needs, specific dietary requirements, accommodations needed to help them navigate their enclosures, or anything else that makes them special, our team strives daily to meet those needs.

2. Our caregivers “speak monkey”

Providing individualized care for our monkeys requires a profound understanding of the different ways in which they communicate with us and one another. While vocalizations play a part in monkey communication, it is much more complex than first meets the eye.

A slight change in body language, movement, or even skin color can signal illness or injury. A monkey who is normally active and playful becoming quiet and withdrawn might mean they are not coping well in their social group. A monkey who responds to interactions with either caregivers or other monkeys with aggression or fear may be struggling with trauma from their past lives.

Our caregivers are trained to respond to all these nuanced behaviors and use their extensive knowledge of monkey language, in all of its different forms, to provide for their needs.

3. Our caregivers battle the elements!

South Texas, where our sanctuary is based, is known for its brutally hot summers, occasional freezes, and sporadic flash flooding. Whether it is a 100F+ summers day, a below freezing January cold snap, or a rainstorm that creates rivers where dry land was just hours before, our team rises to the challenge. Their physically demanding jobs are delivered 365 a year, come rain or shine. Caregivers are truly superheroes!

4. Our caregivers have each other’s backs

Sanctuary life doesn’t always go to plan. While each day has a structured routine to get everyone fed, medicated where necessary, ensure enclosures are safe and clean, and that all other tasks get done, the monkeys sometimes throw us a curveball.

Someone gets sick unexpectedly, an enclosure needs repair, someone doesn’t take their medication well, or any other number of things can throw the schedule off. Never fear though, our caregivers look out for one another. One of the most regular calls you hear over our short-wave radios is “Does anyone need any help?” Whether that help means stepping in to support our vet team at short notice, checking on sick monkeys throughout the evening or even through the night, jumping in to help clean or feed to get the day back on track, or complete some of the mundane (but necessary) tasks that need completing every day, the job always gets done.

5. Our caregivers are the beating heart of the sanctuary

Without our outstanding team of caregivers, our work to protect and care for monkeys who have experienced cruelty, neglect, or trauma simply wouldn’t be possible. For the hundreds of monkeys we care for now, those who have gone before, and the unknown numbers we are yet to rescue and come to know and love, nothing we do would be possible without our caregivers.

This Animal Sanctuary Caregiver Day, please join us in saying a huge “thank you” to those who give their time, effort, and hearts to caring for animals at our sanctuary and others around the world.

Our current caregiving and wider sanctuary staff are Katie C, Katie J, Dan, Kyliegh, Spencer, Joel, Holly, Jordyn, and Rebecca. We are so grateful for all they do.

Keep Wildlife in the Wild,

Liz