What’s it like is a series capturing the accounts of everyday Northlanders who have done not-so-ordinary things. Today Karina Cooper talks to Georgia Stone at Kamo Wildlife Sanctuary

Georgia Stone says her heart was pounding
out of her chest as she sat in front of the first big cat she had ever encountered in real life.

She was feeding Themba, an African lion living at the Kamo Wildlife Sanctuary alongside his brother Timba.

“Of course, I had no idea what to expect as I had never seen a lion that wasn’t on a David Attenborough documentary before,” Stone said.

“But once I gave him his handfed piece with tongs, of course, I was amazed with how gentle he was and I no longer felt scared.

“I just felt incredibly lucky to have this opportunity.”

The 19-year-old Kamo Wildlife Sanctuary primary keeper always aspired to work with animals.

“My whole life I grew up with animals – cats, dogs, chickens, goats, horses, rabbits – and I was taught how to love and care for them.”

Stone described feeling “at home” when she was surrounded by her pets.

“As a child, I went through traumas and my pets were always there for me,” she said.

“They are the only ones that love us unconditionally and I felt like I wanted to give something back.”

So Stone, while in her second to last year of high school, reached out to the sanctuary where she now works to ask about volunteering.

Janette Vallance, the sanctuary’s director and office manager, provided her with work experience every Sunday for six months.

The pair then discussed part-time hours which then led to a full-time keeper role. During which, Stone increased her knowledge pool by completing a distance learning zoology diploma through the International Careers Institute.

“I can still distinctly remember my first day. And it was definitely not any old first day,” she said.

Stone was “full of excitement and nerves” as she painted inside the den of Mandla, a sleek black leopard, alongside Jack Vallance, the park’s butcher and keeper – and now Stone’s partner.

Suddenly a call came over the radio that Shikira, a female African lion, was in the transport cage ready to move to enclosure nine.

“That is when I realised this wasn’t an ordinary day,” Stone said.

She had the “very important task” of videoing Shikira’s move into her new home.

“I remember coming home and laying on my bed, thinking what a day, I can’t wait to go back next week.”

There’s a whole range of different tasks needed to be done on a typical work day, Stone said.

Feeding, cleaning, maintaining enclosures, health checks, medicating and enrichment, and undergoing cat training is all part of the job.

Stone is responsible for overseeing the enrichment programme – a vital part of the cats’ wellbeing.

“This may come in the form of creating forages with their diets, putting toys in their enclosures, or putting in different smells, such as perfume.

“Coffee is a favourite for Mandla,” she said.

Speaking of favourites, Stone is adamant any zookeeper who claims not to have a favourite is “telling fibs”.

“You will rarely meet a zookeeper that says they don’t have a favourite,” she said.

From day one, Cleo had Stone’s heart.

“She is a beautiful lioness. She has a very cheeky attitude and loves her treats.”

So much so, Cleo comes running down from her favourite rock to great Stone at the gate.

“The bond that grows between you and the cats is almost indescribable,” she said.

“You learn about their wants and their needs. Their likes and dislikes and create this connection with them.”

When people learn what Stone does for work, the reaction is often one of shock and amazement.

“Some people ask if it’s safe and it must be so scary,” Stone said.

A nod to the tragic death of keeper Dalu Mncube in 2008. Mncube was fatally mauled by a tiger at the park when it was Zion Wildlife Gardens and under the control of Patricia Busch, mother of self-taught big cat wrangler Craig Busch.

But for Stone: “History is history.”

“This place has undergone amazing renovations to not only keep the public safe but the keepers and the animals.

“And I always answer with: I love my job.”

So, what’s next for this primary keeper?

“Watching the vets have the ability to physically help the cats has strengthened my childhood desire to become a vet nurse.”

A journey Stone starts next year.