By Becca Miller, Conservation Biology student
at Plymouth University
I travelled to Cape Town, South Africa and completed
the 6-month Seabird Care and Conservation internship (January-July 2013) with
SANCCOB (The South African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds) as
part of my placement year with the university. There are other internships
available: for more information you can visit the SANCCOB website (www.sanccob.co.za) and look at the
volunteering tab for the internship section to read more about what’s
available.
Working with birds, in particular penguins, has been a dream
of mine for years, so after the placement talk in second year in which two
former students spoke about their time at SANCCOB, it was an easy decision as
to whether I’d be taking a placement year or not. Being able to play a part in
the rehabilitation of such endangered species was very exciting and seemed like
a valuable way to spend my placement year. Moving so far away from home for so long on my
own was a worry, but not for long. I was soon very busy, surrounded by
penguins, other seabirds and working with volunteers from all over the
world.
I got to work with a number of different species of seabirds
(African Penguin, Gulls , Cormorants, Gannets, Pelicans, Petrels and more),
feeding, tubing and medicating them. As an intern I soon was put in charge of
other volunteers and very quickly felt an important part of the team. Birds are
admitted for a whole range of reasons from oiling, to chick and egg
abandonment. You get to see and help treat a whole variety of different
illnesses and injuries.
A typical day involves medicating, feeding, swimming and
hydrating the birds. You also have to update the daily records for each
individual bird so the vet and rehabilitation manager can keep track of their
progress and adjust treatment accordingly. I also worked in the Chick Rearing Unit for 3
months which has a different routine from the main centre. Chicks are fed every
3 hours from 6am to 9pm. I have never worked so hard in my whole life but the long
hours were definitely repaid by being able to watch tiny penguins hatch and
then go through the rehabilitation process until the stage they are fit to be
released. Tapping an egg and hearing the tiny cheeping from the inside is just amazing.
Even more amazing is when you watch the tiny chick kick its way out of the egg and
you are the first to see them. A highlight of my time there was being able to
help release 7 healthy penguins back into the wild off a boat by Robben Island.
Seeing the end result of all the hard work you’ve put in as they swim away to
their natural habitat is just incredible and certainly makes it all worthwhile.
Another highlight was getting to meet and feed penguins with my childhood hero
Michaela Strachan, as she was filming a series about African Penguins. She made
everyone penguin shaped cookies as well, bonus.
I was given a 6 month training plan, and had regular
meetings with my mentor to track my progress. By the end of my time I was able
to feed, medicate and admit all the different bird species. I could train other
volunteers on the basic procedures of the centre, I got to do some blood work
and analysis in the lab, and learnt about all the different stages of the life
cycle of the African Penguin.
The work was tough, physically and emotionally, and I am now
covered in scars (penguins bite hard), but it was all completely worth it. I
have grown in confidence, improved leadership, timekeeping and communication
skills, as well as learning all about how to care for and conserve these endangered
and vulnerable species. It has now affirmed for me that a career in the
conservation field is definitely something I want to pursue. I am very thankful
to everyone involved for making my 6 months there the best ever, teaching me so
much and making it such an enjoyable experience. I miss all the fat fluffy
faces and have already booked plane tickets back to beautiful Cape Town for the
Christmas break and will certainly be visiting SANCCOB during that time.
My advice to any students thinking of undertaking this
placement is to be prepared to work very hard. There is a lot of physical work
involved and at certain times of year it is necessary to work long hours due to
the volume of birds in the centre. Bring plenty of old clothes as you will
leave work covered in bird poo and fish guts every day. I’d also recommend
going for the 6 month internship rather than the 3 month one as it gives far
more opportunity for learning more skills and gaining more responsibility.
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