Doug Burt is traveling the hills and valleys of memory lane these days, as he celebrates his 50th anniversary of taking care of business for the City of Great Bend.
While most of his experiences since September of 1974 include everyday maintenance and handyman responsibilities, there is one terrifying memory that Burt remembers in fine detail.
During his time as a zookeeper at Brit Spaugh Zoo, a black leopard escaped through a 9-by-9-inch hole in the top of his cage in 1987. Burt was nearby, on top of what is called a flight cage where birds spread their wings.
“The leopard fell behind the cage and my co-worker was with him,” recalled Burt, a 67-year-old Great Bend native. “The zoo was cleared and locked down immediately.”
The co-worker was kneeling and his head was inside the big cat’s mouth. Burt quickly retrieved an 8 mm Mauser that was close by for events such as this.
“I knew a dart gun wouldn’t be enough,” Burt said. “I had to shoot the leopard. Fortunately, I know about guns; I have been around them all my life. I still can’t believe how fast it all happened. From beginning to end was only a matter of minutes.”
The co-worker was seriously injured but recovered.
The rest of Burt’s approximately 20 years as a zookeeper fortunately included many fond memories. His favorites include the times he cared for Max and Maggie, the grizzly bears.
Both bears faced many hardships when they were young but, thanks to local, state and federal officials, they found their way to the local zoo where Max still lives. Maggie died in 2011.
“They were popular with the staff and visitors,” Burt said. “Everyone enjoyed them and learned a lot about grizzly bears.”
However, it wasn’t only zoo visitors that got to know Maggie; she was featured in the August 1984 Life magazine cover story. The headline read: “Can Grizzlies and People Co-exist?”
During a phone interview with the Life reporter, Burt shared some information about Maggie, including a direct quote: “She’s adjusting pretty good. I’d rather she was out in the wild but it’s the best we could do in the circumstances.”
Operator II
Burt’s title is operator II which, from all appearances, covers a lot of territory. He uses his handyman skills, mows, rakes, sweeps, plants trees and tends to the nursery at the Expo Grounds.
He acknowledged that after a couple of decades at the zoo, he was ready for a change. He felt a little cooped up as a zookeeper and made a smooth transition into his position at the Expo Grounds, where he spends a majority of his time today.
“I liked it at the zoo but now I have more time in the wide-open spaces,” he explained. “I just enjoy it. I see what needs to be done and do it. I enjoy working alone but I can also be with other people. It’s the best of both worlds.”
A couple of those people are Director of Public Lands Scott Keeler and Dale Henning. “They are good to me and I like working with them.”
Keeler noted that Burt “is dedicated to the community, this department and the city in general. He has an amazing pride in doing his job well, being our city arborist and taking care of the nursery. He shows great initiative and follows through on his responsibilities.”
Vacations; retirement (maybe)
Burt takes vacations “now and then,” but one stands out in his mind. Half-way through a cruise to Australia and New Zealand, COVID-19 came along.
“We were taken back to Sydney and they didn’t want to quarantine thousands of people. We were taken to the airport and I flew home.”
Of the several thousand ship passengers, Burt learned that about 800 battled COVID and dozens of them died.
“The amazing thing is I never got COVID,” Burt said. “I believe God was looking out for me; I felt so lucky. But I was quarantined for a couple weeks when I came home.”
Burt thinks about retiring but the thought of being unemployed makes him a bit uncomfortable. Yes, he could relax a little more, take his dog, Sandy, on more walks and tinker more with wood-working projects.
But I like what I do and can be kind of a jack-of-all-trades. I know a little about a lot of things – probably just enough to get me in trouble,” he laughed. “I am really proud of the work I have done, especially with the zoo animals.”
Looking back over the years reminds Burt about his earliest days as a city employee. The late Jerry Tillery hired him on a part-time basis but changed it to full-time within about a year or so.
“I didn’t know until about 10 years later, that Jerry had his doubts about me sticking around at first. He told me that he thought I would be moving along after a year or two.
“But I surprised him. I have surprised a lot of people all my life,” he said, noting an early-in-life brain injury resulted in special care and treatment.
Randy Keasling, director of human resources, echoed many of Keeler’s comments about Burt.
“Reaching a 50-year work anniversary is a remarkable achievement, and it speaks volumes about the dedication, hard work and loyalty of our valued colleague, Doug Burt,” Keasling said. “His commitment and contributions are something we are so very proud of. We are deeply grateful for Doug’s many years of service and the positive impact he has had on our team and community. Doug, on behalf of City Council and City Staff - Thank you for your service to The City of Great Bend.”
