It is 5:45 a.m. as my alarm goes off. All I want to do is get some more sleep so I snooze until 6:00. It is another early morning for me as I begin my half awake drive to the Museum. I have made this drive probably 100 times since my senior project in 2005 but never this early. This is because I am no longer a volunteer…I’ve been adopted.
I had the honor of being the Adopt-A-Student in the Wildlife Resource Center over the summer; eight weeks of paid work, which was something new to me. I was part of the staff now, with a blue shirt, jingling keys and a 7:00 a.m. start time. Over the course of my project I helped Robyn with research on our three eastern screech owls, two of which have liver failure and a third who is showing early signs of the problem. It was a very rewarding experience because I learned a lot about bird anatomy, the functions of the medications we use and of course all of the medical names for different kinds of diseases and problems. There were a lot of highs and lows, one being the need to grind up mice and quail and then shipping them to Wooster for analysis and also finding out that the liver problem was liver fibrosis, an irreversible disease. I did a lot of literary research and got a nice self guided tour of Lakeview Cemetery while hunting unsuccessfully for owl pellets.
In addition to working on the project I also helped with daily animal care and enrichment. My first times stepping into the bobcat and fox exhibits were very exciting because I did not do any of that as a volunteer. I had a lot more responsibility being a part of the Wildlife team and I enjoyed every second of cleaning, feeding and doing an occasional animal show. It was cool to see the crows fly to me and the eagles bark at me and the turkey attempt to attack me through the fence because they knew who I was. It was such a rewarding experience and I will continue to volunteer until I got back to Ohio State to continue my zoology degree. While very few questions were answered during the course of my project I have confidence that an answer will be discovered as to why our owls have liver failure. It was fun to be a part of research that could change the face of owl husbandry across the state.
Matt Kneitel, CMNH Wildlife Resource Center Adopt-A-Student
I had the honor of being the Adopt-A-Student in the Wildlife Resource Center over the summer; eight weeks of paid work, which was something new to me. I was part of the staff now, with a blue shirt, jingling keys and a 7:00 a.m. start time. Over the course of my project I helped Robyn with research on our three eastern screech owls, two of which have liver failure and a third who is showing early signs of the problem. It was a very rewarding experience because I learned a lot about bird anatomy, the functions of the medications we use and of course all of the medical names for different kinds of diseases and problems. There were a lot of highs and lows, one being the need to grind up mice and quail and then shipping them to Wooster for analysis and also finding out that the liver problem was liver fibrosis, an irreversible disease. I did a lot of literary research and got a nice self guided tour of Lakeview Cemetery while hunting unsuccessfully for owl pellets.
In addition to working on the project I also helped with daily animal care and enrichment. My first times stepping into the bobcat and fox exhibits were very exciting because I did not do any of that as a volunteer. I had a lot more responsibility being a part of the Wildlife team and I enjoyed every second of cleaning, feeding and doing an occasional animal show. It was cool to see the crows fly to me and the eagles bark at me and the turkey attempt to attack me through the fence because they knew who I was. It was such a rewarding experience and I will continue to volunteer until I got back to Ohio State to continue my zoology degree. While very few questions were answered during the course of my project I have confidence that an answer will be discovered as to why our owls have liver failure. It was fun to be a part of research that could change the face of owl husbandry across the state.
Matt Kneitel, CMNH Wildlife Resource Center Adopt-A-Student
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