I spend my birthday working
Date: February 25th, 2019 Time: 3:10pm It's my birthday today. I am not one bit sad that I am working on my birthday. I excitedly run...
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TAYLOR HENSELEN: ANIMAL CARE INTERN
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PROJECT OVERVIEW
Summary
Through this project I have gained the practical experience, skills, and knowledge needed to be competitive in my career aspirations. My dream career is in animal caretaking and education, which I want to achieve by either through a veterinarian’s assistant, zookeeper, or outreach educator. My internship with my professor, Dr. Heyborne, helped me in learning the knowledge of proper husbandry in providing care for reptiles and amphibians.This project helped me gain knowledge of proper enclosure set up, cleaning, and how to maintain the animal’s wellbeing. In addition, I learned how to handle animals and gained valuable knowledge of their habitats, reproduction, and their importance to the ecosystems in which they live. I worked directly with his personal collection of reptiles kept in the science building of SUU’s campus. I spent at least an hour everyday with the animals and reported to Dr. Heyborne for any abnormalities.
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PROJECT DETAILS
I worked closely with Bill Heyborne, one my biology professors. I heard he had established an animal interest group and I immediately talked to him about it.
I joined the club. Animal Ambassadors is a community outreach club that uses live animals to educate the public about science. I later found out that all of the animals actually belong to Dr. Heyborne, who houses them on campus. I got to know some members, one of which was the care taker for all of the animals. I asked her about her role and became great friends along the way. I found out that she was graduating and a replacement was needed. I seized the opportunity and was trained right before she left.
I spent an hour or more with the animals every day. I attended to their needs, including enrichment and dietary needs. I even took the tegu out on a walk with a harness. That was a highlight. I continued to work with the animals, learning basic information in regards to their habitat, diet, and role in their ecosystems. The information I learned really helped me get into a leadership position in the club.
Consequently, I was put in charge a lot of the time since I knew the most about the animals. I facilitated group presentations to the public and helped other members present. In addition, I co-authored the outreach manual, which contains the most updated information on the current members of the reptile collection.
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REFLECTIONS
Lessons learned - I found out that I am passionate about care taking. The job is very satisfying because I can physically see the fruits of my labor. Helping these animals get what they need was very rewarding to me; I looked forward to it everyday. I was able to observe exotic animals that many would not normally see, which made me appreciate the opportunity. I also learned how much work and monitoring goes in to animal care taking. The work is physically and intellectually demanding, which helped me to grow in both aspects. I learned that if I like something enough, the time really goes by.
Well hey there 😊😂 #savannahmonitor #su
Cornsnake appreciation post. This is ma
I feel so lucky to love my job. Working
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AUTOBIOGRAPHY
When I was a kid, I had a strong fascination with animals. I thought they were so intriguing, especially cats. There was never a time in my childhood that I didn't have some kind of pet. Most of the time I had cats and sometimes I had betta fish or goldfish. Whenever my grandfather took me fishing, I would keep the fish we caught right next to me, even after bringing them home in a bag. I also would hunt for lizards and go catch frogs in ponds.
My love of animals has only grown with me as I have grown up and gone to college. As soon as I found out about the Animal Ambassadors club at Southern Utah University, I immediately joined and continued my love for animals. Only this time, I took the opportunity to not only take care of exotic reptiles, but also to use them to connect with the public.
I currently attend Southern Utah University. I am graduating in May of 2019 with my BS in Biology. I am optimistic about my future after college. I have learned and grown greatly in my time here. I feel prepared for just about anything thanks to my professors and EDGE project.
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