When to Walk Away?
I've been working at a small facility for 9 years now. The first 4, we had a team of 3 to care for around 300 animals. At the start of COVID, we lost a team member and went down to 3 until 2023 where I then became the only keeper. For two and a half years, I've been feeding, cleaning, building nutrition plans, monitoring health changes, overseeing breeding, and trying to offer at least some amount of enrichment whenever I can to 78 species as well as handling all guest experiences. I'm struggling with burnout constantly to the point where I've begun to resent the job entirely.
My questions are for people who are in smaller facilities like mine. What is your team member to animal ratio like? I feel extremely burned out all the time and I can't tell if there is something wrong with me, or if this level of work is unsustainable for one person. Any tricks to manage burnout? Can I manage this and fight through it for the animals in my care that I love so much, or should I be looking for an exit strategy?