What is reflection?  Based on the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, reflection can mean a lot of things.  For example, reflection can be the production of an image by or as if by mirror.  However, this is not the kind of reflection that I am being asked of.  Instead, I am being asked to reflect on my experience as a study abroad student.  This kind of reflection is a consideration of some subject matter, idea, or purpose (also another definition of reflection).  It is my pleasure to write about and reflect on my experiences that I had while I study abroad.  It was life-changing to say the least.

For my STEP Signature Project, I had to wonderful opportunity to study abroad with my fellow peers to Ireland.  While in Ireland, not only did we get to see the beautiful cities and the rolling green landscape of the country sides, but we also got to immerse ourselves in the different forms of human-and-animal interactions (HAI) that can be seen across multiple different species that we can interact with.  Our main activities were going to different animal-related organizations (i.e., dog shelter, Dublin Zoo, Seal Rescue, etc.), where we got to not only learn about what they do, but also the types of interactions that they have with animals: from the way they handle these animals, enrichment, positive/negative reinforcements, consideration of animal welfare, etc.  Being able to see the other side of these different organizations, really opens your eyes to how integral our interactions are with animals.

Being raised in a world where I have interactions with animals, it did not come as a surprise humans and animals do interact with one another.  For example, a lot of people in this world have a pet (already a form of a close and individualize HAI).  However, I did not realize the depth and details that came with all these different HAIs.  Before going on this trip and taking an HAI class, I thought of human-and-animal interaction at its simplest form: humans interacting with animals.  However, after this study abroad trip, I learned that there is so much that goes into our human-and-animal interactions.  A great example was when I visited the Dublin Zoo and our tour guide talked about the Asian Elephant enclosure that they made.  First off, it was made to mimic/replicate the elephant’s natural habitat (incorporation of native plants and food sources that these elephants might consume).  Not only that, but the enclosure provided more than enough space for many elephants to roam around.  On top of that, the enclosure was built for the elephants to have the choice on whether they wanted to interact with the public or not (giving them the freedom of choice in their environment, an important concept in animal welfare).  Lastly, the zoo staff works on providing different forms of enrichment for these elephants (watering hole where they can swim, balls for them to play with, etc.) to eliminate any stereotypical behavior (typically negative behavior) from occurring.

After my trip to the Dublin Zoo, it really opened my eye to the depth and details that humans take when it comes to interacting with animals.  It’s more than just seeing an animal or feeding them, but rather understanding the animal’s wants and needs and considering how to improve their welfare through our acts of interactions.  This attention to HAI was not only see at the Dublin Zoo, but also at a lot of other animal-related organizations that we visited.  In each of their own ways, they utilized different forms of HAI to help work on their mission as an organization.  Seeing how each organization uses different forms of HAI, really opened my eyes to how our interactions not only affect us, but also the animals we are handling.

One good example of how our interactions can affect both humans and animals were when we visited the Seal Rescue, their forms of HAI were completely different from the forms of HAI that we saw at the Dublin Zoo.  A goal of the Seal Rescue is to rehabilitate and release the seals back out in to the wild.  To be able to release them back out in to the wild, these seals need to stay as wild as they can.  That means they cannot become habitual to increase forms of human interactions.  Due to this, the interactions that we see between workers and seals are less personalize and close to make sure that these seals stay wild as possible (i.e., lack of positive reinforcement, little/no enrichment, etc.).  This is unlike what we would see at the Dublin Zoo.  While these animals are still considered wild because they will not be release back out into the wild, workers are able to provide a closer form of HAI with these animals.

A future goal of mine is to be a vet and work with animals.  So, this change/transformation that I underwent after going on my study abroad trip is significant because it opened my eyes to the changing nature or our working relationship between that we have with animals.  This trip showed me the power that HAI has in affecting our lives and the lives of animals.  Not only that, but it also showed me how we are also still improving in our interactions with animals (especially when it comes to an animal’s welfare).  This relates to my academic goals, because I think this will make me a better student when it comes to working with animals, because now I have a better understanding of how important HAI is when it comes to connecting the bridge between humans and animals.  Not only does it relate to my academic goals, but it also relates to my professional goals.  Since I want to be a vet one day, I believe that I will be a better vet because I have this newfound knowledge and understanding or our working relationship different forms of animal species.  I hope that I can take this knowledge that I gained and put it into my life’s work to help educate others about the importance of HAI and how different forms of it can affect not only us but our animals and the relationship we have with them.  When it comes to my personal goals, I hope that I can use this knowledge to help advocate for animals that I might not work with in a close capacity.  For example, I plan on becoming a mix-animal vet and will be working with mainly large and small animals.  However, I still want to be an ally for other animals that need help (i.e., exotic animals).  The vet community is one that always help one another, so I want to take what I have learned and apply it not only to my career but to help other vets in our life’s goal of helping animals.