Alumni Fellows attend Zoo Biology Conference
1 March 2018
The second Zoo Biology Conference took place on Wednesday 31 January at Yorkshire Wildlife Park.
Senior Lecturer and Course Leader, Dr Samantha Ward, accompanied second and third year Zoo Biology students to the event. Students were able to find out further information about the diverse range of careers available to them, whilst learning more about animal welfare and the challenges of working in zoos and other areas of biosciences.
NTU Senior Research Fellow and industry expert, Dr Jake Veasey, opened the event and spoke about his research in animal welfare in zoos. This presentation allowed students to gain a better understanding of the needs of animals in captivity. Dr Veasey commented that his passion for saving wild animals started at a young age, when his love of dinosaurs first led him to understand the finality and impact of extinction. Out of his fascination for dinosaurs grew a love of rhinos and a determination not to let them go extinct. Since those early days, he has worked extensively with many species including rhinos in both the wild and captivity across four continents.
Dr Veasey stressed to students:“Because the fields of conservation and animal care are so popular, you need to have genuine passion to stand out and succeed. You’ll need to demonstrate a commitment to your passion by getting as much experience as you can. If you have the determination to stick to a clear vision for your future and are willing to develop the necessary skills to get there, you will be successful.”
A varied range of NTU alumni were invited to the conference, including five Alumni Fellows. The Alumni Fellowship Programme has been running in the School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences since September 2016. The Programme was designed to provide a unique and structured way for our talented alumni to donate their time to support and inspire our current students on a voluntary basis. Further information about the Alumni Fellowship programme can be found here.
Thank you to Yorkshire Wildlife Park and our alumni speakers for making the conference a great success.