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Devan Strange

@devan_strange

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Christian
Pointe-Au-Chien Indian
"Not all people are bad but all people are ignorant”

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Love (verb) Love isn’t felt. It’s practiced.
• not a mood, but a mindset.
• the act of showing up every single day.
• choosing to notice the beauty in the ordinary.

People assume love is a feeling, so when the feeling fades, they think it’s gone. But love isn’t just emotion , it’s action. It’s choosing to keep showing up, even on the days it doesn’t feel magical. by @devan_strange

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a year ago

Ran off a cliff in the Swiss Alps with a man who didn’t speak english but somehow we both agreed doing flips thousands of feet in the air was a good idea. Apparently bad decisions are a universal language. Even managed to throw in a crash landing……10/10 would run off a cliff with a bed sheet again 🪂

Meanwhile, Valerie faced her fears and ran off the cliff beside me, skipped the flips, and landed smooth as butter. Apparently speaking the same language as the guide has its landing benefits😂

10/10 views taken in Switzerland by @devan_strange

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a day ago

Traveling has changed how I see conservation. It’s not just about saving every animal, it’s about keeping wild populations healthy while also supporting the people who live alongside them. While in Namibia, I stayed at a hunting ranch because I wanted to understand an industry so many people have strong opinions about. Yes, I went on hunts, went into the meat processing area and helped with the part most of us never see before meat ends up packaged in a grocery store. If you eat meat in America, food for thought: a meat chicken may be harvested around 6–8 weeks old, a pig around 6 months and many beef cattle around 18–24 months. A mature trophy kudu can be 8+ YEARS old. That animal has spent years living free before harvest. But what interested me most was what happens when nobody is hunting. Namibia is extremely dry and drought can be brutal. Where I stayed wildlife is free ranging, not a closed population behind a game fence. The ranch maintains wells and water points for wildlife and can bring animals in when drought severely impacts certain populations. Because they’re free ranging, those animals can move and breed beyond the ranch. To eventually have ONE mature trophy animal, you need a healthy population behind it. Young, old, male and female all need water, habitat and protection for years. That’s the part a trophy picture doesn’t show. There’s also the human side. Hunting provides jobs and income, and the meat helps feed people. Where I stayed, game meat was sold at a low cost to locals, donated to orphanages and hunts were used to provide meat to local tribes. I love animals because I love them, but the reality is not everyone does. When wildlife has value, people have another reason to protect the animals and the land they depend on. That value can come from tourism, food, jobs or regulated hunting. Regulated hunting is NOT poaching. Namibia has permits, quotas and requirements behind legal hunting. Conservation isn’t always pretty or comfortable. It’s easy to make morality black and white when you have the privilege of being removed from the realities other people live every day. The more of the world I experience, the less black and white it becomes. taken in Namibia, Africa by @devan_strange

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21 days ago

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2 months ago

Lately, I’ve realized how easy it is for me to get caught up in work and stress instead of slowing down and appreciating the amazing life God has blessed me with. I want to focus more on Jesus, be grateful for the chapter I’m currently in, and use the blessings He’s given me to make a difference in other people’s lives. This weekend reminded me just how fragile and precious life is. It reminded me to slow down, appreciate the blessings God has given me, and appreciate the amazing people in my life. At the end of the day, I truly believe we’re called to help others, care for God’s creation, and make a difference wherever we can 🤍

This trip wouldn’t have been possible without Valerie and Melissa. God definitely knew what He was doing when He put y’all in my life 🤍 Such a fun weekend and so much to be grateful for🙏

Fun facts about the animals in these photos:

Binturong (Bearcat): Despite the nickname “bearcat,” they’re neither a bear nor a cat. They naturally smell like buttered popcorn and even have a prehensile tail that helps them climb.

Palawan Porcupine: Found only on the Philippine island of Palawan, this is one of the world’s rarest porcupine species. They can have over 30,000 quills, but contrary to popular belief, they can’t shoot them.

Virginia Opossum: North America’s only marsupial. They’re highly resistant to rabies because their body temperature is too low for the virus to thrive, and they help control ticks and other pests.

Striped Skunk: Their spray can reach up to 10 feet, but they’ll usually stomp their feet, hiss, and raise their tail as a warning before spraying.

Capybara: The world’s largest rodent. Their eyes, ears, and nostrils are all on top of their head, allowing them to see, hear, and breathe while almost completely underwater.

We got 8 rescues in this weekend and 2 animals for our education program from an amazing zoo. So let’s get these 10 babies settled in and let the chaos continue……
(None of the animals surrendered or we took home are in the post but we will be posting them soon) taken in Minneapolis, Minnesota by @devan_strange

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2 months ago

I forgot she has my location… she forgot to check it😂✈️ Thankfully she was too busy getting everything ready for everyone to come over. Getting away isn’t exactly easy when you have a zoo full of animals, but flying into Washington, D.C. to surprise her for her birthday was absolutely worth it. Life gets so busy it’s nice to make time for the special friends in my life❤️ Happy Birthday @taylorzzz__ 🎂🧽🇺🇸

Thank you @layla.rogers for helping with the surprise 🫶 by @devan_strange

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3 months ago

Freshman us would be so proud of how far we’ve come 🤍

When we first started at LSU, we both had our four year plans all figured out. God definitely had other plans for us, but somehow the one thing that never changed was us having each other through all of it. There may not be two veterinarians out in the world like we originally thought, but there sure is a zoo owner and now a mechanical engineer hahah seeing you graduate with one of the hardest degrees at LSU while we both learned how to navigate adulthood in completely different ways makes me so proud. If freshman us could see where we ended up, we probably wouldn’t believe how much each of us accomplished and how we both achieved beyond our original goals. Grateful I got to be there for the beginning of this journey and now the end of this chapter. So proud of you MC 🤍 by @devan_strange

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5 months ago

Florida recap:
• incredible animal facilities
• time with friends I don’t get to see enough
• people who remind me why I love this field
• a man making tacos out of a hatchback 🌮

Couldn’t ask for a better Florida trip.

Huge thanks to my bestie Lauryn at Elephant Oasis (@silkelephant) for having us out and joining the chaos for a few days. Essex and all the other amazing animals were so much fun to meet!
*You can go to https://www.elephantoasis.org/ to book a tour and help support their barn fund*

We went to @carsonspringswildlife to visit one of my favorite people @barryjanks55 and, of course, the hyenas. Thanks for having us out and being so supportive of my dreams in this industry🙏
* Check their facility out! So many species of big cats and various other animals! The sassy giraffe stole our heart. Book a tour at https://www.carsonspringswildlife.org/ *

And Xtreme Exotics Wildlife Foundation with Stephen @xtreme_exotics and Jessica @_wildlifewonders — appreciate you guys letting us come through and see all your beautiful animals 🤍
*Book a tour and get AMAZING animal interaction opportunities at https://www.xewfzoo.com/book-an-experience/ *

ECSM Conference was amazing as usual 🦘Always a privilege to network, see friends, and get the opportunity speak to everyone about my passion and protecting our community.

Then of course had to end the week by meeting up with Lauryn to watch her perform her absolutely beautiful silks 🤍 So much talent!

Trips like this remind me why I’m in this field in the first place.

Also yes, I got the cutest elephant kiss and footprint necklace. If you love supporting great animal facilities and conservation, you obviously need one too. Go check out @silkelephant shop 🐘 https://www.silkelephant.shop/ taken in Florida by @devan_strange

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6 months ago

Altitude adjustment required #tallgirl
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#tallgirlproblems #tall #tallgirlsrock #62 by @devan_strange

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9 months ago

One of the traditions is drinking kava as a welcome drink… and listen… my lips went NUMB and I absolutely did not enjoy the taste 😂 but you drink it anyway out of respect, so I suffered respectfully. I had to drink FIVE things of kava.

They make the big clay bowl by smashing the clay with their feet, then baking it, and that’s the bowl they use to prepare the kava. The herbs themselves are broken up by hand. No sinks. No soap stations. And you drink it out of a coconut that literally everyone else has already drank out of. A true community coconut experience.

Apparently if you drink enough kava it’s supposed to get you drunk or make you hallucinate… I did not reach that level, just numb mouth and regret.

Also, fun wildlife fact. Fiji really does not have a lot of native land mammals. Bats are basically it. They have several species of fruit bats and flying foxes, some that are found only in Fiji, and they play a huge role in pollinating plants and spreading seeds. So technically the bats are the MVPs of the ecosystem.

Which means the only four legged mammal I really got to mess with was a horse. Their animal care culturally is WAY different than what we are used to… rope halters, rope bits, very simple setups, very functional.

The people here are some of the kindest humans I’ve ever met. Constant “Bula,” endless “Vinaka,” and genuine warmth everywhere.

Also yes… I am holding a historical wife beater, a traditional Fijian war club, over the chief’s head and all I could think was… Uno Reverse 😅

Most of the tribal communities here today are Christian. Christianity became dominant after missionaries arrived in the 1800s and now about two thirds of the population identifies as Christian, mostly Methodist. But you can still feel the older beliefs and traditions woven into ceremonies and everyday life.

Also… don’t ask how we ended up in a Hindu temple. We side quested a little too hard. The cave I’m standing in front of is a historic cannibalistic cave which is… a sentence I never thought I’d type. taken in Fiji by @devan_strange

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9 months ago

Texas Iceapocalypse❄️ #snow #texas #belgianmalinoisofinstagram #shepherds #diesel by @devan_strange

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9 months ago

2025 Recap International Edition
Some memories are special because of where you went, but mine are special because of who was with me. God knew exactly who to place in my life, and I’m forever grateful🤍 The best friends become family, and I’m blessed to be surrounded by people who are like-minded and chasing the same purpose.

2025 showed me just how supported I am with friends who help with my animals, take in a sick one as their own, travel with me to learn, show up alongside me to help others, stand beside me in conservation and charity work, answer the SOS calls when chaos happens with the animals and stay up late talking through the challenges.

Thankful beyond words for 2025 🤍 and excited for everything 2026 will bring. by @devan_strange

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9 months ago