Day of a non-scientific intern

Sabrina Obwegeser (Intern)

02.11.2021

As part of my training to become a zoo keeper, I was allowed to spend the last 3 months as an intern at the Wolf Science Center. An experience with many wonderful impressions, hard physical work and also a lot of moments that I will never forget. A typical day as a non-scientific intern contains of a variety of exciting, beautiful, important but sometimes very surprising activities ... Butcher, is just one of the unexpected jobs that have to be learned. The morning was one of my favorite times. If you look at the calendar at breakfast and read "wolf walk", then the day can only get off to a good start. Being a companion on a walk with a wolf is a task that gave me goose bumps and a grateful grin every time. The opportunity to be so close to one of these beautiful animals and to spend the first hour and a half of the day on a beautiful walk in the forest, that's what you call a dream job! Of course, not every task during the day is so exciting, but every one of them is absolutely necessary. Keeping the kitchen clean is just as important as cutting enrichment in the form of pieces of meat or cleaning enclosures. In between it can also happen that it is called "deer in the Freezer house", which means something like new food for the wolves. Since every wolf becomes fed individually between every 2nd and 5th day, food replenishment is always welcome. A portion is between 1-3kg, e.g. a whole chicken or rabbit. Or even a piece of deer. And as an intern / animal keeper, you are also responsible for cutting up the food animals into appropriate portions. At the beginning a somewhat demanding and unfamiliar task, but it is also interesting and hungry wolves appreciate it very much. The feeding is a little easier for the dogs, as dry food is used as the main diet. It was an honor to ve give the trust to take care of the dogs alone in the morning. There is nothing more fulfilling than spending time with animals. Whether wolf or dog, during my time at the Wolf Science Center I learned an incredible amount about these fascinating animals and had experiences that most people can only dream of. Once you have seen and felt how sensitive and lovable these animals are, the story of the "big bad wolf" becomes absolutely absurd. I take many wonderful moments with me from my time at the WSC and the insight that we humans can learn a lot from these beautiful and remarkable animals.