Hadlow College students turned conservationists recently as they learned about some of the world’s most endangered animals as part of Big Cat Week.
Animal Management students took part in the three-day workshop with the Big Cat Sanctuary. The event culminated in them choosing a species of wild cat that is under threat and presenting their own proposals to fellow students and staff, explaining how they would protect the animal.
As an incentive, the students who were judged to have the best presentations each won a private tour of the Smarden-based Big Cat Sanctuary.
Aside from learning more about some of the world’s most threatened big cats, the students explored the work the Big Cat Sanctuary does, and developed many skills that are needed when entering the workforce, including research, presentation and communication skills.
Jo Saunders, Head of Curriculum for Animal Management at Hadlow College, said: “Around 50% of our Level 3 cohort are interested in Higher Education, whilst the other 50% are aiming towards employment, and as a result it can be a challenge to suit all needs when developing skills for next steps. This is where the Big Cat Sanctuary come in.
“Together, we designed a series of workshops which develop a range of skills to suit both HE and industry and as a result, once again we have a cohort of very motivated and incentivised young people indeed.”
Gill Garbo, Education and Sustainability Officer for The Big Cat Sanctuary, added: “This was the second time running the Conserve to Preserve Project with Hadlow College and it was another success. It was great to see the students so engaged in learning about conservation and researching about their lesser-known cat species.
“They displayed brilliant teamwork and collaboration skills and there was a range of creative conservation ideas in their presentations and media campaigns. I was also impressed with how they thought critically about different conservation approaches and the challenges they might face. I very much enjoyed working with the students and hope to return with the Conserve to Preserve Project in the future.”
The exciting week was made possible thanks to funding from the Kent and Medway Progression Fund (KMPF), a partnership of higher education providers, colleges, schools and community organisations which delivers outreach activities across Kent and Medway.
Hadlow College’s Animal Management courses mix theory, such as learning about the structure and function of the animal body, along with practical work in a large custom-built animal management unit.
Students are involved in all aspects of husbandry and management from planning animal collections, and designing and maintaining enclosures, to day-to-day animal care within an animal collection set up as a commercial enterprise.
To find out more visit the Animal Management course page on the Hadlow College website.