When I was conducting my search for a university course in the UK that would suit me, a major factor in my decision to apply to and later attend the BSc Animal Management course at Hadlow College was the then-recently opened National Centre for Reptile Welfare, which was a one-of-a-kind facility that offered opportunities to work with animals that I might not otherwise encounter outside of a professional environment.
From my first year, the centre has been a part of my educational experience, beginning with lecturer-supervised visits to see some of the centre’s more exotic intake, including a very docile green anaconda surrendered by his owner and a small group of spectacled caimans who were being temporarily housed at the centre. I also had the chance in the spring to work directly with the centre, utilising intake data in a research project on the prevalence of abnormal weights in different species of pet snake.
It was in my second year, however, that I became more actively involved with the centre and everything it has to offer. While I had strongly considered it when looking at my options for my second-year work placement module, I had not made up my mind initially, but by autumn, I had decided that it was the best choice for me, and I ended up doing my entire placement there before deciding to stay on as a volunteer. Working at the centre in this capacity has allowed me to develop specialist skills and connected me to other people in the field.
Early in my placement, I was encouraged to push my limits regarding which animals I was most comfortable handling with the security of knowing that I could receive help and moral support if I was unsure, and as I progressed and expressed greater levels of comfort, I was given more freedom and responsibility. By the end of the placement, I was often placed in charge of groups of other students as well as managing more difficult species, and when my work placement ended, I elected to continue as a volunteer. Currently, I work with nearly every species at the centre, process new arrivals, and work with new volunteers and work placement students to get them used to working at the centre, and sometimes to help them build their own confidence with animals they are less comfortable handling.
In addition to gaining husbandry skills regarding a range of species and building my own confidence when working with and educating others, the centre has been invaluable to my research work. In a departure from the research that I conducted in my first year, which relied on data collected by the centre, for my Industry Experience module research project, I mounted a more ambitious project designed to examine disparities in the measurement of the captive reptile population in the UK. I could not have even begun to make this project a success without the support and knowledge of Chris Newman, who helped me to acquire useful resources, connected me to other professionals who had specialist knowledge that we lacked, and provided indispensable feedback throughout the process. My experiences working with Chris, Dan, and the NCRW as a whole have massively influenced my educational choices, and the project I hope to propose for my dissertation also involves working with the centre and its animals to promote a better understanding of the distinct needs of captive reptiles.
I would strongly encourage all students – especially higher education students – at Hadlow College to take advantage of the unique opportunities presented by the National Centre for Reptile Welfare, be it overcoming a fear of snakes, helping a variety of reptiles find new homes, conducting important husbandry research, or learning an endless range of new skills. In helping to support the centre, we are also supporting ourselves in learning in a way most students don’t get the chance to explore.
Monte, Animal Management BSc Student