Douglas Harris feeds ‘Otis,’ a South American kinkajou under the watchful eye of Wild Adventures General Curator and Animal Handler Kurt Kreinheder Saturday at the theme park.

VALDOSTA — Douglas Harris was the lucky winner of the Zoo Keeper for a Day promotion run by Wild Adventures and The Valdosta Daily Times, which allowed the winner to shadow an animal care specialist throughout the park Saturday.

“When you come here you get to see and enjoy all of the animals, but you really don’t know what it’s like to care for them and keep them groomed,” said 15 year-old Harris as he walked alongside a cave of cavies.

Harris, a ninth-grade home school student, credits this opportunity to his mother, who completed the application for Zoo Keeper for a Day as a surprise for him. When the winner was announced during the Wild Adventures Wild Encounters weekend, he excitedly prepared to assume his position as zoo keeper.

“Everybody should get a chance to experience this,” Harris said. “ I now realize how hard it is to maintain a zoo so I appreciate animal care much more.”

Some of Harris’ activities included cleaning the elephant area, grooming the animals and performing therapy if needed. His favorite animal was the lion.

“I have cats so I love learning about different kinds of cats, especially exotic ones like lions,” Harris said.

Nonetheless, Harris was not too fond of snakes.

“He will probably have a new-found love for snakes after the venomous snake show today,” was the response given by the general curator, Kurt Kreinheder, whom Harris shadowed.

Kreinheder, who has worked in animal care for more than 21 years, was particularly pleased with the opportunity to show Harris the ropes.

“I love working with the animals and wouldn’t change it for the world,” Kreinheder said. “I respect Douglas for coming out today to expand his knowledge of nature and just take in the beauty of it.”

Since Harris had a love for cats, Kreinheder especially enjoyed introducing him to Sohan, the 110-pound baby tiger. However, a South American kinkajou named Otis was the center of attention Saturday. A curious and clinging relative of the raccoon, Otis’ playful nature and big appetite kept Harris on his toes.

Zoo Keeper for a Day is one of many avenues Wild Adventures, which now has more than 500 animals, has explored to educate people about animals and animal care.

“We do daily shows and animal education tours,” Sara Sumner, spokeswoman for Wild Adventures, said. “We also visit schools from time to time to inform students about different animals and the importance of animal grooming and care.

Sumner expressed plans to present another Zoo Keeper for a Day contest in the near future. With a sense of admiration for zoo keepers and animal care specialists, Harris reported that the profession may be something he will consider later.