If I were to describe my current self, I would describe myself as lucky, but this is a dangerous word to use in a work environment. As many of you know, I had many application processes for this internship. I thought that I knew exactly what I was going to do and knew all my tasks in detail. I was wrong.

Every day, I wake up thinking that I know exactly what to do and how to do it, but in the back of my head I am always curious about what extraordinary event is going to happen that day. So far, I have been a part of game counts, necropsies, cheetah workups and sperm collection, viewing dog breeding, collecting measurements of hornbills, moving cheetahs to different enclosures, assisting visiting school groups, given tours, and more. None of these opportunities were promised to me, but I am so happy that I could watch these events and even get my hands a little dirty.

Lucky is not a good word to describe myself because interns are not always chosen at random to help assist with the above. Instead, hard-working, motivated, and efficient interns are chosen because they can be trusted. I hope that my story will serve as proof that hard work really does pay off in the end, but you need to put the work in first. Below I will outline some of the unforgettable opportunities I have had here at CCF.

Helping with Film Crews: Even though I am not in the films, I am able to speak with the crew about their interest in CCF, their backgrounds, and more! Recently, a team from BBC was here recording for a new series they are doing about animal adaptations and physiology. I was lucky enough to be a part of the Cheetah Run where I was allowed to view cheetahs and stand with the crew while they were filming! Cheetahs are sometimes curious about people, but if there are more people standing together, they become less curious and more fearful of large groups (hence why they take the lone antelope or the limper of a group).

Necropsies: CCF has a dairy farm to show local farmers non-lethal farming practices and to sell locally-made products from our creamery. Although, animals are not immortal. Sometimes some of the goats or lambs die from disease, parasites, and other reasons, but it gives interns an opportunity to assist or watch a necropsy because it is always important to see what caused the death of your livestock. I have seen animals perish due to respiratory illnesses, ticks, and worms. This allows the veterinarian to then start to vaccinate accordingly, and I learned more about warning signs, physiology, and ruminants!

Safari Training: Four of our cheetahs are currently being trained to let safari cars drive past them inside their enclosure without them being too curious. This allows for more tourists to donate to our fund and have an amazing opportunity to see cheetahs in their natural habitat. Although, we cannot just let tourists into the enclosure with cheetahs who have not been this close to people in a while. Thus, a group of interns and staff members were in a safari vehicle to scare the cheetahs away from the vehicle, that way they do not approach it in the future. The funny thing is though, the cheetahs were more curious about the wheels of the vehicle, not the people, but if guests begin to scream out of fear, it may frighten the cheetahs. Thus, the cheetahs have more training to do, but at least I got to witness a part of the training process.

For more information about some of these special opportunities, feel free to leave a message or comment. I will answer any questions or queries as quickly as I can.

Thank you!