Meet Luke Kruyt, Animal Care Manager

Luke started working with animals from a young age, and has never looked back. In this article he shares his passion for the animal care industry.

Luke is an animal care manager for a non-profit animal rescue organisation which is based in Sunnydale, Western Cape. In this article, he tells more about his career in the animal care industry.

Luke has always been an animal lover and started working with rescue animals from the time he was 11 years old. He explains how he got involved: “I saw an advert in a local newspaper calling for volunteers to assist with animal rescue efforts.” Luke immediately applied. “I was very excited about the opportunity to be involved in helping to rescue animals,” he says.

Luke was accepted as a volunteer at TEARS (The Animal Rescue Society); an organisation that rescues, rehabilitates and rehomes domestic animals, whilst also providing veterinary services to local communities. Luke loves working with animals, and because he volunteered so often, the staff offered him an opportunity to work full-time, which he did for 2 years. Thereafter, Luke moved to Gauteng to study Animal Science. “Although I enjoyed learning, I wanted to be more hands on. I applied for a job as an animal care giver at an animal shelter in Johannesburg, and I spent two years working there,” Luke explains.

However, Luke’s ultimate goal was to pursue his passion for animals in Cape Town, so he packed up his bags and moved back to the mother city. “TEARS welcomed me back with open arms, and that was almost 4 years ago,” he says.

Animal rescue managers are responsible for supervising all animal shelter employees. They are also responsible for ensuring that facilities are maintained and upgraded properly. Most importantly, they need to ensure that animals are fed, bathed, cleaned and treated humanely.

TEARS on set

Luke loves that his job allows him to make a change in the lives of animals. “When we see animals come in, they are often scared, sick or they have behavioural issues, and ultimately, are unwanted. Many seem to have lost hope and given up on life, some are mistrusting of people and seem damaged. However, animals are resilient, and with some time, patience and TLC, they flourish into loving companions. Seeing them through this process, right up to the time that they find their new homes makes it all worthwhile and what I love most,” says Luke.

Aspiring animal care givers need resilience and to work hard, says Luke. Animal welfare can be traumatic, he adds. “There are some truly sad days in this line of work. But it is important to understand that you can never save all the animals. If you use those sad days to motivate you to avoid the same fate, then you will go far,” Luke advises.

For most of us, this isn’t a job but a calling in life. Plus, the good days, furry cuddles, slobbery kisses and happy endings always outweigh the bad!”

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