Animals: they’re cuddly. Cute. And, if provoked, fully capable of ripping your face off.

That Swedish expat you’ve been seeing a lot of lately: very similar.

So today, in the spirit of living dangerously, we’d like to suggest a merger...

Which brings us to a little risky business otherwise known as Keeper for a Day, a full afternoon of bathing African elephants, hanging out with kangaroos and/or getting way too close to lions, now awaiting your registration for the ongoing series at Zoo Atlanta.

At the end of the day, this is a pretty simple concept: a behind-the-scenes day in the life of being a zookeeper. With a date. But on the off chance this simple vignette doesn’t pique your interest at first blush, let’s take a deeper look.

Your sojourn into the wilds of Grant Park begins promptly at 8am. You’ll need a water bottle, bug spray, some SPF 15 and the latest edition of Lion Whispering for Dummies. You’ll exchange a few pleasantries with your guide (the real zookeeper) and bide your time through the requisite safety briefing.

At which point you and your nature-loving confidant will be whisked through the zoo’s various hinterlands to get to know the resident wildlife a little better, up to and including bathing those aforementioned elephants, feeding warthogs or sitting in on a lion feeding frenzy.

Next week: dinner and a movie.