In addition to the thousands of animals that pass through the Wildlife Center’s doors each year, the WCV also hosts many preceptorship students.  These students come from all over the world to complete an eight- to twelve-week preceptorship at the Center.  The Wildlife Center gains many sets of hands — energetic, enthusiastic students who assist with the hundreds of patients that are being treated at the WCV at any given time.  The preceptorship students gain an in-depth, hands-on experience in the field of wildlife rehabilitation — and really, a chance to “test run” a career in the field.

A large amount of the students’ time is spent hand-feeding a wide variety of orphaned animals and monitoring their progress.  Other duties include learning about animal husbandry, nutrition, capture and restraint methods for various species, wildlife laws, and release criteria.

This summer, eight preceptorship students are at the Wildlife Center — and as many eagle cam watchers have seen, an additional “waiter/waitress to the stars” duty has been added to the job description this year!  While some students have just finished their eight weeks with us, others are only a couple of weeks into their preceptorship. 

The “Class of 2011″

Name:  Alex
Hometown:  Hillsboro, Virginia
College: James Madison University
Degree:  B.S. in Biology
Attention to detail:  Alex was known to check and re-check the reptile room to ensure everything was taken care of.

Name:  Hannah [little Hannah]
Hometown:  Poquoson, Virginia
College:  Sweet Briar College
Studying for:  Biology degree
Favorite preceptorship task:  Capturing the owls
 
Name:  Vinny
Hometown:  Johnsville, NY
College:  SUNY Cobleskill
Studying for:  Wildlife Management
Favorite animal at the WCV: Jaz, the education crow
Claim to Fame:  Vinny is the first student to become well-known to “eagle nation” – and is well-known for his friendly smiles and waves at the webcam.

Name:  Ben
Hometown:  Rising Sun, Maryland
College:  Frostburg State University
Studying for:  B.S. in Wildlife Management
Claim to fame:  Like Vinny, Ben is well-known the eagle cam community, as he greets the world with a salute at feeding time.
Little known fact:   Ben is also an amateur storm chaser.

Name:  Kathy
Hometown:  Charlottesville, Virginia
College:  Boston College
Studying for:  Vet school
Favorite animal at the WCV:  Screech-owls
Well-known cam fact: Kathy is a twin!

Name: Becca
Hometown: Charlottesville, Virginia
College: Boston College
Studying for: Vet School
Favorite animal at the WCV: All the fawns
Critter Cam ID tip: Becca has longer hair than her sister.

Name:  Hannah [Big Hannah]
Hometown:  Tuscon, Arizona 
College:  Tufts University
Studying for:  Environmental Science, Anthropology
Fun fact:  Hannah has actually used a large glove to protect her head from Jaz while feeding her.  [Jaz is our education crow.  She doesn't like girls.]

Name:  Jessica
Hometown:  South Pasadena, California
College:  UC Davis
Studying for:  Wildlife, Fish, & Conservation Biology
Least favorite thing at the WCV:  Jessica doesn’t like mealworms.

One more late summer student will soon be joining the ranks; then, just as most students are returning to college in August/September, the fall preceptorship students will be starting their time with us. 

Interested in being in the Class of 2012?  Please visit our preceptorship opportunities page.  2012 applications will be available later this year.