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Some people say if you choose a job you love, you will never have to work a day in your life. It’s a great sentiment, but how many people can actually say they truly love getting up in the morning and going to work? LSU vet school wild man Mark Mitchell can. He and his staff treat more than 1,800 wild animals each year, and he tells 225 why he loves taking a walk on the wild side every day.

Your voicemail message says you can’t come to the phone because you are in your nirvana. What is your nirvana?

My nirvana is waking up and coming to work. When you feel as if your job is your hobby, you’ll never have a bad day. A lot of people say I am a workaholic, but it doesn’t seem like work to me.

How many hours a week do you work?

Between 80 and 100.

Why wild animals?

Wild animals have always fascinated me. You know, when I was little I was always bringing home things like snakes and frogs and toads. I’ve loved wild animals my whole life. I always say that if the 10-year-old Mark Mitchell knew what I was doing now, he’d be, like, awesome!

Any unusual pets at home?

We have two Great Danes, three cats, a Harris hawk, a Belgian Waterslager canary, nine snakes, six tortoises, 200 turtles and 23 fish tanks.

You must have a lot of land?

No, actually I live in a regular subdivision. People always ask me that. I am afraid to say where. But, it’s great. I haven’t cut the grass in the backyard for two years. They (the tortoises) take care of that. Sometimes it gets a little patchy, but right now, it’s like a fairway back there.