This summer, I am an Animal Care Intern at the Ohio Wildlife Center’s Hospital and Pre-Release Facility. This is an organization that is dedicated to helping injured and orphaned wildlife and educating the general public about wildlife and their importance to our ecosystem. I’ve personally never had an experience in the world of wildlife care and wildlife medicine, so naturally, this organization and their internship opportunities really piqued my interest. I applied in February for this position and started during the second week of May. So far, I have learned how to feed and care for younger animals such as squirrels, possums, rabbits, ducklings, and small bird chicks like robins, sparrows, and starlings. I’ve learned how to prepare diets for adult animals and raptors and how to help with certain medical tasks such as injections and medications. So far, I have learned so much about these wonderful animals and each day is filled with experiencing something new.
Because I am originally from Cleveland, Ohio, I had to find an apartment here in Columbus so that I can gain this internship experience. In order to life some financial burdens off my shoulders regarding rent payments and gas fills for my car, I applied for STEP (Second Year Transformation Experience) funding and was approved. Thanks to this program, I can focus my time and energy on learning and not have to worry as much about the costs.