To say that the world of estate management is anything but ordinary is an understatement! The sights, sounds, and exotic and expensive things EM's are ask to curate on behalf of their owners is astounding and limited only to legality, the imagination of their employer, and of course the owner's budget and desire. Estate Managers are often asked to take on tasks which would baffle someone in another industry, and yet they take up the helm of these tasks with grace and gusto!
This includes animals of all shapes and sizes, not just your average household pets! Estate owners own land in a variety of circumstances, and with this the ability to host a collection of creatures most do not care for normally. The list of exotic animals I have encountered during my time in domestic service and estate consulting sounds like the lineup for the local petting zoo! From herds of llamas, alpacas, and emus, to exotic and unusual pets such as tarantulas, hedgehog, rare macaw birds, massive pythons...all the way to regular farm animals such as potbellied pigs, donkeys, goats, sheep, cattle of all kinds and of course horses...the world of exotic pet management becomes just another day in the life for butlers, household, & estate managers when serving high net worth employers. This photo of the peacocks was taken on a luxury estate, and although they are beautiful they are a handful to manage, which is why I decided to write this post!
There are a few things to consider when setting up the standard operating procedures of these creatures:
1. First, do not jeopardize the safety of your household employee simply to save on outside vendor costs. If it is more appropriate to hire an outside vendor for the tasks associated with the care of these creatures, it is by far the safer and wiser choice for your animal and your employee.
2. It is not acceptable to force a household employee into an uncomfortable situation in taking care of an animal if they are not comfortable doing so. Please outsource this if need be so that your internal employee can manage their other daily tasks and that your animal is cared for by a trained professional who wants to do the work...in this way the animal and the employee will be the happiest.
3. Please insure if your internal household employee is willing to take on the role of caring for your exotic creatures, that they are well equipped to do so with clear directions and training if something goes wrong. I have seen numerous out-of-this world aquariums that were stunning but took detailed and specialized care to manage the water, food, and oxygen levels all at appropriate levels and the tasks were quite complex. So please be sure your household employee is equipped and trained to handle the nuances of such tasks.
Exotic and expensive animal management all falls under estate management services, but it is up to savvy owners to know when to have these tasks taken care of internally or outsourced to contracted professionals. There are many estates that have animal departments (such in the case of Ranch Hands with horses and cattle) that run internally, but it is imperative for the safety of the workers and the animals that all of the standard operating procedures are handled and managed appropriately. If your estate is in need of an animal management plan, please contact Luxury Lifestyle Logistics to set up a complementary consultation today.