1) Who did you work for?

I worked for El Refugio de Potosi, an ecological park whose main objective is to help in the conservation of the fauna and flora of the region. The park:

• Exhibits the flora and fauna of the region
• Educates the public by providing and distributing information about the life cycle and biodiversity of local species
• Provides rescue, treatment, recuperation, and release of wild animals in distress
• Provides a sanctuary for wild animals that can not be reintroduced to the wild
• Conducts scientific research for the protection of local species
• Promotes ecological tourism in the region

2) What was your first week like?

The first week I was at El Refugio de Potosí, I spend working on the daily routine and observing. I was confident but a bit nervous at first, but everyone was so welcoming. From the very first day the other staff invited me to join them for meals and I soon became part of the team and the community.

My boss gave me the great opportunity to choose what I wanted to do to help the park. At first, she also assigned some tasks to me such as giving guided tours and tending to the animals, but in the end I worked on the projects I developed, which were: the Bird training program, “Live the Life Chain” and “Maggots as a food source”

3) What were your main tasks during your work term?

I worked on four main projects during my work term:

1. Animal Care and Guided Tours
I helped feed and clean some of the wild animals in care, including a tree porcupine, an opossum, a boa constrictor, a chameleon, boobies, parrots and birds of prey. I also assisted the wild life veterinarian in tending to some animal’s wounds and medical treatments.
As a tour guide, I took visitors around the facilities, showed them the animals and talked about them. I also discussed what people should and shouldn’t do to prevent more animals from getting hurt. In other words, I exhibited the animals and educated the public.

2. Bird training Program
I started the bird-training program. I trained three of the birds of prey of the park: a great horned owl, a broad wing hawk and a caracara. I also trained a military macaw. These birds had never been trained before, so at first, this activity was very time consuming, because I had to spend a long time with them to habituate them to me.  As they got used to me, the training progressed.
I also worked on a script for a bird presentation to provide information about the birds to the visitors and promote their appreciation and care for these animals. To do this I had to go over the literature about the birds on the Internet and also on books.

3) “Live the Life Chain”
I developed a dynamic public presentation called “Live the Life Chain”, which I presented to visiting school groups. In this presentation, I taught children about the connections between the different links of the food chain and the consequences of breaking the chain. To do this, I spend a considerable amount of time finding and painting animal images to use in the talk.  I gave the talk to more than 300 children in several presentations, re-evaluated it and came up with new ways of using the images.

4) “Maggots as a food Source”
I developed the use of maggots as a food source for some of the reptiles and arachnids of the park. I noticed the need for another food source and came up with a solution. Through several experiments, I found out the best way to grow fly larvae and to feed them to the iguanas, the chameleon, the tarantulas and the scorpions.

4) What made you want to do an international work term?

Actually I was just looking for a co-op position related to conservation. It just happened that the co-op placement I liked was international and I was not intimidated by that. It just made it even more exciting.

5) What was the best part of your work term?

I really loved working with the animals and learning about them. It was also really wonderful to get to know a different culture and actually take part in the celebrations and become part of a community that is so different to the one in Victoria.

6) What would you tell a co-op student who was thinking of doing an international work term?

To not be intimidated. Prepare beforehand, get visas and vaccines and stuff, but more importantly be independent and confident in yourself, always keeping respect and kindness in mind.