Team Work #IAmAKeeper
July 16, 2018
July 15-21 is the American Association of Zoo Keepers (AAZK) National Zoo Keeper Week. As a member of the AAZK, Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge is excited to be celebrating the week with our fellow animal keepers around the country! Our team spends the year dedicating themselves to making sure all the animals that call the Refuge home receives the best care possible.
This year’s theme for National Zoo Keeper Week is teamwork. Providing quality care for nearly 100 animals takes a lot of people doing various tasks. Our animal care team provides direct support to the animals by feeding, cleaning, creating enrichment, building habitats, and more. Our maintenance team keeps vehicles running, helps build habitats, fixes plumbing issues, and does general upkeep of the Refuge. Our office team fundraises, communicates information to the public and our supporters, and maintains memberships/adoptions/sponsorships. The lodging team offers a unique experience to our overnight visitors, creating a closer connection with supporters. Our gift shop team is the first and last people visitors see; they provide quality customer service, telling guests about our the Refuge and our mission. Finally, our new education department helps to spread the word about our mission and educate future generations about the plight of big cats in captivity. It takes every person on our team to keep the Refuge running smoothly. Get to know our dedicated team members by visiting our Meet our team page.
As a way to show appreciation to the team for all their hard work, we have planned a week-long celebration for Keeper Week! Through donations from local businesses, board members, and a supporter, we have planned fun activities for the team each day of Keeper Week.
- Sunday – Lunch donated by Subway in Eureka Springs, AR.
- Monday – Breakfast Cooked by Victor Smith (TCWR Maintenance team head and owner of Catered Creations)
- Tuesday – Lunch of Hamburgers, and Hotdogs by Harts in Eureka Springs & Veggie Burgers by Eureka Market
- Wednesday – Breakfast by Dunkin Donuts in Rogers, AR
- Thursday – Pizza – donated by CiCis Pizza in Fayetteville, AR
- Friday – Ice cream social & party – Donated by a supporter
- Saturday – Cake by Cravings by Rochelle in Eureka Springs, AR
Keeper Week isn’t just about celebrating the hard work of our team. It is about showing appreciation and improving morale. The animals might not be able to verbally thank everyone for what they do, but we want to thank all TCWR team members (both past and present) for dedicating their lives to the mission. It is only with their help that we can continue to rescue and provide lifetime homes for so many animals. Your donations help us provide the best quality care for the animals that call the Refuge home, donate now and help us, help them.