CityView Magazine - Fayetteville, NC
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/35097
Local volunteer finds paradise at work Sam Elson and his mother Vye Barkley help the zoo It was one year ago when Sam Elson celebrated his 35th birthday at the Aloha Safari Zoo. At the end of the day Sam did not want to get off the safari ride and kept repeating: “I wish I could sleep here.” The staff at Aloha Safari Zoo had watched Sam tenderly interact with the animals throughout the course of the day and had asked his mother, Vye Barkley, about his limitations with his autism, before inviting him to become an employee. Sam counts down the days to each weekend and was fortunate to find a job doing what he loves the best, working with the animals. On any given Saturday Sam can be found feeding watermelon to Bodie the bear or entertaining the crowd as he feeds Jack, the baby kangaroo, peanut butter crackers. They say animals have a sixth sense, and it must be true. When the regular staff go into Jack’s cage, the rambunctious kangaroo kicks at them, but not with Sam. Jack sends signals that he wants him to stay. After he is through feeding and playing, as he approaches the door, Jack will grab onto his legs, as if hugging him, or jump on his feet to keep him from leaving. It is evident to spectators that Sam has a special bond with the animals. “His life is full now, animals are his life,” said Vye. Sam’s duties entail caring, cleaning and feeding the animals and going into the habitats, unafraid, with the bear, monkeys, tigers and kangaroos. “I wish I could clone him,” says his supervisor Lee Crutchfield. Lee says he never has to check behind Sam, who sticks to his routine of duties and follows all the rules meticulously, often working behind others who might have occasionally missed a detail. Sam loves all the animals, but his favorites are the monkeys, the kangaroos and Valentine, the miniature calf born on Valentine’s Day who lost his mother during childbirth. “The best part about Sam’s job is the opportunity to be around the animals,” said Vye. “He gets so much unconditional love back from them.”CV CityViewNC.com | 45