Meet the Humans: Kaley Banga!
RAPS is all about the animals. But everything we do depends on human volunteers and staff. We are introducing our team members! This week: Kaley Banga.
What is your title and role?
I am Assistant Supervisor of the Adoption Centre. I assist with adopting out cats and accepting surrendered cats. Also care for the animals, medicate them, clean, coordinate vet appointments, manage phones and emails with daily inquiries about adoption, surrenders, donations, other general animal calls.
What is your training and work experience?
Believe it or not, I did not have much experience working with animals coming into this job. I previously worked at Wildlife Rescue Association as a summer job but eventually it had to come to an end. After that, I worked at an accountant’s firm for a year. Although the job was stable, I was bored out of my mind. I always had a passion for working with animals, whether it was wildlife or domestics, and I knew from the get-go that is all I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
When I was looking at working with RAPS, I originally applied to the Animal Hospital but they were not hiring at the time so I was passed along to the RAPS Animal Shelter. I had little to no knowledge about working at an animal shelter and what my responsibilities would entail. I was asked to come in for an interview by [Shelter Manager] Shena [Novotny], and I had absolutely no idea what I was getting myself into. It was nerve-racking but exciting. My only previous experience with animals was volunteering at other animal shelters when I was younger and caring for all the pets I’ve had since I was of an age capable of doing so.
I started off as receptionist with RAPS, then worked my way up to an Animal Care Attendant and Kennel Attendant, to Assistant Supervisor and the rest is history. It is pretty astonishing to think how far I’ve come for the two years that I have worked with RAPS and all the experience and knowledge I have gained because of it. It is truly unlike any other experience I have been a part of and I am very grateful for everything I have learned because of this job.
Share a bit about yourself …
I grew up in Canada and was born and raised in Surrey. I’ve always been fascinated by animals since I was a little girl. I always knew growing up that I was going to work with animals for the rest of my life, whether it was through volunteering or as a successful career.
After high school, I attended university to complete my Bachelor’s in Science but took a break after a few years so I could work full-time and save up more money to put towards my education.
I have grown up with dogs my whole life, specifically German Shepherds. I currently own an eight-year-old German Shepherd named Frenks, three female guinea pigs: Tazzy, Ezma, and Frizzo, and a recently adopted eight-month-old goof ball of a cat from RAPS named Moofles (formerly named Tabasco).
What are your hobbies?
Outside of work, I enjoy spending lots of time with my fur babies at home, seeing as how they can get quite jealous from the amount of time I spend with my work fur babies.
If I’m not at work, I’m typically at home watching some scary movie, curled up with my dog Frenks and cat Moofles 🙂 I also like to catch up with my friends, sometimes go for a nice hike with them or go out for drinks. However, when I’m not taking part in those activities, you can find me getting a new tattoo to add to my collection, going to the gym with my friends or just being a homebody 50% of the time.
