Wildlife Conservation with a Year in Professional Practice - BSc (Hons)
I’d recommend doing a placement, as it’s a chance to try out something new and to gain experience before graduating.
I've been really interested in animals and nature since I was young. As I got older and became more aware of environmental issues, I became interested in what I could do to reduce the impact of humans on the environment.
We've had quite a lot of freedom with modules, for example I'm doing an environmental politics module from another School this year. I’ve enjoyed having the scope to shape my course.
We also had a field trip to Borneo which was a big highlight, where we?spent two weeks in the rainforest, staying in a small research centre.
We were comparing biodiversity in rainforests and in palm oil plantations. For example, we conducted bird counts and wildlife river surveys. In Borneo they have a lot of palm oil plantations, which is a big environmental issue because of deforestation.
We saw a wild orangutan which was fantastic. It was just swinging around our camp in the canopy above us. There was also a tree platform in the canopy you could climb up to as well.
I was working at the Wolf Science Centre in Austria, where they specialise in canine psychology. The placement was more animal behaviour related, but it is also something that interests me, and I believe it has an important link with conservation. I thought it would be a good opportunity to try out something new, while also trying out working with captive animals as it's not something I was sure I'd feel comfortable with. However, I really loved working there.
They have 18 wolves and 16 dogs that are raised and kept in identical situations for accurate comparisons. They are kept in large enclosures to form natural social structures, and all participation in behavioural tests is done on a voluntarily basis by the animals.
As a thank you to the interns we were allowed into the wolf enclosures once a week. If the wolves wanted to, they could interact with us which was really special.
My official title was scientific research assistant. Master’s students and PhD students did research there on comparing wolf and dog behaviour and cognition, looking at how domestication has influenced dogs. My role was assisting on research projects, as well as running the centre.
One of the Master’s students hadn't managed to collect all her data before she had to go home to finish her degree. I ended up collecting the remaining data for her research project. It was quite a steep learning curve because I had to organise all the data collection and the training to be able to carry out the tests.
I feel more confident applying for jobs abroad now, and I know that I could work with captive animals in the right conditions. I also enjoyed educating the public about animal behaviour; it was nice to see people’s perceptions of wolves change. I’d recommend doing a placement, as it’s a chance to try out something new and to gain experience before graduating.
I’m considering a Master’s, but not straight away as I’d like some time to decide what I want to specialise in.
I definitely want to use my career to travel and live in different countries, but most importantly help conserve biodiversity around the world.
