Name: Samantha Pellicane
Type of Project: Education Abroad
Please provide a brief description of your STEP Signature Project
I recently got back from a two-and-a-half-week education abroad program to South Africa. The first half of the trip we went to different animal sanctuaries and rehabilitation centers and saw the behavior and welfare of animals in captivity. During the second half of the trip, we went to Kruger National Park and were exposed to the behavior and welfare of animals in the wild.
What about your understanding of yourself, your assumptions, or your view of the world changed/transformed while completing your STEP Signature Project?
I am more aware that people around the world have different views and opinions than what is the norm of western ideas. Many people in America are infatuated with animals in Africa; they are beautiful creatures and when people hear that they are being poached or hunted, organizations are formed in order to stop this. On the other hand, they are missing the other side of the story, the side that affects the people who have to live with these animals in their backyards. Farming has become more prominent in South Africa; it is how many people are making money and providing food for their families. In order to farm, there needs to be land for crops and for animals to graze, this land is taken from the wildlife that once lived there. Habitat destruction is the leading cause of the rapid decline in many animal populations. In addition, if a wild animal, like an elephant, stumbles upon someone’s farm, that person will most likely kill that animal because he is trying to protect his livelihood and cannot afford an elephant to destroy and eat his crops. Many people in South Africa do not like the wild animals that once inhabited villages, towns, and cities; and many people in America do not understand this. I think that it is important that western cultures are educated on this topic because without education, nothing will be done to help protect these animals or to support the local people.
What events, interactions, relationships, or activities during your STEP Signature Project led to the change/transformation that you discussed in #2, and how did those affect you?
In order to be eligible to apply to this education abroad trip, there was a class that must have been taken during the fall semester called African Animals. This class was taught by a man named Andy, who is also the in-country guide for the education abroad trip. Andy is from South Africa and he has spent endless hours in Kruger Park, in the wilderness, and is well educated on the animals as well as current issues in South Africa. I learned so much from him in class, but then going on the trip, I learned much more information than could ever be taught in a classroom. It is one thing to listen about exotic animals and global problems, but to experience it and see it first hand is so much more profound. After visiting various sanctuaries and rehabilitation centers, he would discuss some of the flaws and strengths with us. Some places that we went to were very tourist oriented and the workers there want to do their best to make customers happy, even if that means embellishing or lying. Andy showed us that there is still room for improvement at these facilities and it all starts with openness, honesty, and acceptance.
One of the days in South Africa, we went to Moholoholo Rehabilitation Center. Here, workers and volunteers help injured animals that are found in the wild. We went on a behind the scenes tour of the facility and it was one of the coolest experiences. Our guide’s name was Oscar and he was very knowledgeable; he would answer our questions openly and honestly and if he did not know the answer to a question, he would not make something up. Our group experienced these negative aspects at another sanctuary. Since we had too many people to fit into one truck, we had to split up. This meant that half of us went one way with a guide and the other half went another way. Once we reconvened, we discussed what we had learned. We quickly realized that we were told two completely different things. For example, one guide told half of us that the sanctuary had 20 cheetahs, while the other group was told there were over 200. How could there be such a vast range? At this sanctuary, they essentially tell people what they want to hear, whether it is real or not. Some places only care about making a profit from naïve tourist. On the other hand, Moholoholo focuses on correctly educating the public on pressing issues that people don’t want to acknowledge, and ignoring problems is only going to do more harm.
The group of people that I went on the trip with from Ohio State definitely made the trip even more amazing. Only 9 students are chosen to go on this education abroad and CFAES could not have done a better job at picking them. From the start, everyone was extremely nice and welcoming toward one another. Everyone always wanted to be involved in everything and we were all super eager to learn. This positive energy from everyone made the trip just that much better. We always made sure to ask a bunch of questions and to engage in conversation. All of us went on this trip with a passion for animals and I can confidently say that our love and appreciation for exotic animals and their caregivers only grew more. We learned about the culture and about animals together. I have made friends that I will have for a lifetime and I am so glad that we had this amazing experience together.
Why is this change/transformation significant or valuable for your life?
As soon as I returned to the states, I immediately started educating my friends and family on various topics, like trophy hunting. Typically, a hunter is brought in to kill an animal that is causing problems. The problems could be that they are extremely violent or they need to control population numbers of animals. Many people in Western cultures do not understand this, however, in order to maintain the population numbers of other species, sometimes they need to step in and take matters into their own hands. Hunting is a hobby for some people and some people disagree with this. A person who is looking to hunt an exotic animal is called in and told which animal they are allowed to kill. Once the animal is killed and the person has taken their picture, the meat from that animal is given back to villages of people who are starving. A single giraffe can feed 200 people. Western cultures view trophy hunting as killing a beautiful, exotic animal; however, if killing a single animal can save hundreds of others and feed starving humans, isn’t that the best case scenario? Soon after I returned home, I saw that one of my friends shared an article on Facebook about ‘how back trophy hunting’ is. I read the article, and as I stated, it was very one sided from an American perspective. I called her and I explained all of this to her in great detail and she was amazed and her opinion was changed. I am hoping that with all of this information I have learned I can keep educating people. I think it is extremely important that people try to understand both sides of the story. Having more real conversations can help save more animals and create better policies and regulations where there aren’t any yet.
This trip has made me realize that I want to become a mixed animal Veterinarian, focusing in small animal and exotic animal. In the future, I would love to go back to South Africa one day and work with animals in these rehabilitation centers and sanctuaries. I also hope that I can be like Oscar at Moholoholo and show people the other side of the story that is hidden behind lies in Western culture.
