Big Cats and Small Checks: Life of a Carnivore Keeper

The 5:30 a.m. alarm leads to a quick breakfast sandwich and coffee. Out the door by 6 a.m. A 45 minute commute gives Bracy Heinlein just enough time to punch in before her shift starts at 7 a.m. for her Seasonal Carnivore Keeper position at White Oak Animal Conservancy in Yulee, Florida.

Animal lovers are in high supply when going to work in the big cat business. The field is small, cheap and competitive, and few are the lucky that get graced with permanent positions, or even paid ones.  

Heinlein is working to be one of those coveted few. Currently, she is part of a small team that cares for the 26 cheetahs, four tigers, two Florida panthers, one serval and four maned wolves on the property. Her position at the Conservancy is currently temporary, with a contract up in June, however she’s working to get in good graces in case a full time position becomes available.  

Courtesy of The Conservation

Heinlein’s work day begins at food prep, where the White Oak member breakfasts are prepared. While Heinlein didn’t disclose what exactly was in the carnivore’s diet, she ensured that it was similar to what carnivores would find out in the wild. Her truck is then loaded with mystery meat, towels, chunks of venison or horse are added as treats for felines who are on medicine, and PVC pipes for precaution when she goes to enter the cheetah enclosure. 

Heinlein starts to make the rounds, making sure no one jumped the fence overnight and everyone is behaving normally. With 26 cheetahs, it can be hard to tell them apart, however Heinlein has picked up on subtleties in face and tail markings that helps to keep them straight. The morning is spent slinging food through metal chutes to be greeted by enthusiastic big cats on the other side. Enclosures must be cleaned and all residents receive regular enrichment training to maintain mental and physical dexterity. 

“Some days I’m just a glorified pooper scooper,” she said. 

However even with the long days and endless cleaning tasks, for Heinlein, there is no plan B. 

There hasn’t been since her first experience working with exotics during a summer internship at White Oak in 2017, and when she met her first cheetah cub, Matthew. Matthew was born during Hurricane Matthew, and was the only surviving cub of his litter. When cheetah mother’s don’t produce a large litter, their motherly hormones aren’t at a high enough level to nurture just one or two cubs. This happened with Matthew, and Heinlein’s team ended up having to hand raise him. Heinlein bottle fed, pet and nurtured Matthew, and soon, the facility received another male cub that also required hand-raising, Tex. Matt and Tex became bothers from another mother, and during the summer Heinlein was part of a team of new moms for the pair.   

“That was my first exotic animal experience and it was hot and humid and buggy, and hard work, but I loved it. So that solidified that yep, this is I want to do,” said Heinlein.  

Internships that followed were less than glamorous. Heinlein felt the pressure to be employed after college graduation so she worked in the Disney college program. While she had hoped for an assignment in the Animal Kingdom, Walt Disney placed her working attractions in Epcot, and the summer was tiresome and droll. She desperately sought to be around the company of exotics, no matter what it took. In 2020, she spent the hottest part of the year under the Texas sun, working at Fossil Rim Wildlife Center and living on a $300 a month stipend that tested her financial resilience. 

“It feels really good now to have my bank account not be double digits anymore,” said Heinlein. Her current position pays $12 an hour, with no overtime pay, even though she’s constantly working at or past the 40 hour mark. 

Her parents, grandparents and even friends see the job demands and will question if Heinlein would consider going back to school or finding a different field. Most of her friends have settled into more traditional career paths and stable salaries, like Anna Haymond, who is currently finishing up her master’s degree to become a speech pathologist. 

“Her job involves a lot of labor, and a lot of long hours and working outside. And for all of those conditions. She is remarkably upbeat and fascinated by all components in her job,” said Haymond, “I'm always impressed.” 

College friend Amanda Scheifele, a librarian in Ontario, Canada, echoed the sentiment when she said, “She sounds like she’s tired...it definitely takes a lot to work there, but I think she’s sincerely enjoying it because she likes the big cats.” 

With a triage of paws and claws around her childhood home, it’s no surprise Heinlein always felt a draw towards the furry companions. Growing up she’s become familiar with stories of her as a baby, desperately reaching under the bed to try and play with the family’s shy Persian cat, Cali.

Pets aside, Heinlein would also often visit her grandfather’s home that was nestled in Raleigh, North Carolina. And the ‘City of Oaks’ was appropriate as their backyard was heavily wooded with trees and local flora. Young Heinlein and her father grew acquainted with spreading corn and bird seeds in the backyard, and as the sun fell to dusk she would wait by the window with anticipation. 

Not long after, wildlife snuck into the yard. White-tailed deer quietly grazed on the seed with some that would return year after year.

“If one had a lame back leg you could tell if it came back,” said Heinlein. 

Through her middle school years, Heinlein took up horseback riding, and continued to be surrounded by dogs, cats, and even a few birds around the house. 

“It wasn’t until I got to college that I didn’t have an animal with me 24/7, which was kind of sad.”

Heinlein attended University of North Carolina at Wilmington where she was drawn towards the natural sciences. Her aspirations transformed from vet to National Geographic writer. 

 “It was sometime during sophomore year of college, that I was like, I think I want to be like a zookeeper,” said Heinlein. “But I don't even think that I had like that word in my head. I was just like, I want to work with animals.” 

When asked about the difficulties of her job, Heinlein said, “There’s not really a worst part.” 

Sunburned and mosquito-bitten, Heinlein doesn’t see farther ahead than a full time position working with the carnivores that she’s grown to love, and hopefully that position is not too far away, which will come with a higher hourly pay, overtime, and lots and lots of scooping.