Well, it’s about that time again…What time you might ask?
The time for another group of IEAS interns to say goodbye! Over the past 3 months we
have gotten to know each other very well, some might even say a little too
well. We have all learned each other’s quirks. We know how to motivate each
other, especially after a hard day’s work. We even know how to keep each other’s
spirits up when morale is low. These past three months we have worked as a team
and I couldn’t have asked for a better group of interns to work with. Each of
us has benefited from this internship in different ways and we are now one step closer to
reaching our career goals. Let’s take a look at where each of us is going next!
The 2016 spring interns! (From left to right: Maggie, Sarah, Erin, Bailey, Brenna, and Nathan.)
I’ll start with myself…my name is Erin and I have been
interning at the International Exotic Animal Sanctuary for the past 6 months. When I graduated from college, I realized that my passion lies in animal care, so I've done various internships to get experience in this field. I
recently accepted a small carnivore/primate keeper position at the Fort Wayne
Children’s Zoo in Fort Wayne, IN. This will be my first actual job as a keeper
and I absolutely cannot wait to start on this new journey!
Me (Erin) preparing our bear cub diets.
Maggie was another 6 month
intern with me (believe it or not, we were roommates, woot woot!!!). She has
decided to continue to assist here at the Sanctuary, right here in Boyd, TX!
Maggie is from around the area, so when our new batch of interns gets here, she
will be commuting from home. However, she will be instrumental in teaching these newbies the ropes and looks forward to taking this leadership role!
Maggie checking the toolbox for one of our vehicles.
Now for our three month
interns! Let’s start with Brenna. Brenna was offered an internship at the
Conservancy of Southwest Florida in Naples, FL. Here she will not only be
involved in the animal care of various native Florida wildlife, but she also gets to
assist in the rehabilitation and release of these beautiful animals! When she
was offered this position, she was told that she will be spending a lot of time
in the nursery upon her arrival as it is baby season. She will definitely be spending the beginning of her internship out right if I do say so myself!
Bailey was another three
month intern at the Sanctuary! She will be heading to Cimarron, NM to work at
the Philmont Scout Ranch, which is the Boy Scouts of America’s largest national
High Adventure Base. There is a lot to do here including hiking, camping, and
visiting various museums, but Bailey will be a program counselor. As a program counselor, she gets to pretend she is a member of the old Abreau family and explain to others what it's like to live in the 1800's. However, she is most excited about getting to take care of the farm animals!
Bailey fixing one of our pesky sprayers!
Sarah was yet another
three month intern at IEAS. Ever since she got her first cat, Sarah knew she
wanted to be a vet and has continued to pursue her dream! Throughout her
internship, she was able to observe various veterinary procedures that have provided her with very valuable experience and knowledge that will assist her in the path to becoming an exotic veterinarian. With that being said, Sarah is is currently working on her vet school application! In the meantime, she will be heading back home to Pullman, WA where she
will spend some quality time with family and friends, volunteering at local vet clinics and humane societies, and squeezing in as many backpacking adventures as she possibly can!
Sarah collecting the metal buckets to put in our vehicles.
Last, but not least, we
have Nathan! Nathan is the only intern who is staying on for the six month animal
care internship at the Sanctuary. As a six month intern, he will gain more
responsibilities and assist in training the new interns when they arrive as
well. Between Nathan and Maggie, the new interns have two spectacular role
models and are definitely in good hands!
Nathan sorting out bear meat.
Well, I hope you enjoyed
meeting our interns and learning about their future plans! I myself can’t wait
to see what the future has in store for all of us! If you have any interest in interning at the International Exotic Animal Sanctuary, just visit our website at http://www.bigcat.org/intern-program and start your application today!
No comments:
Post a Comment