2015: Highs. Lows and a Look Back

This year has been a strange one, from completing a placement year to travelling with my best friend and then having to head back to university. I have experienced pretty much every type of emotion and gained a better understanding of who I am as a person along the way so I decided a look back at the largest events this year was in order.

Iberian Lynx Back from the brink

I love a story of conservation success and this is certainly one of them, hence me sharing it all with you today.

10 years ago the Iberian Lynx was nearly extinct with numbers thought to have dropped below 100 due to habit loss, prey loss and disease but due to a large conservation effort in Spain they have managed to gradually increase numbers and bring the species back from the brink of extinction. Numbers are now thought to be at 327 individuals roaming around southern Spain and some parts of Portugal.

Finishing my Placement at the Wildlife Heritage Foundation

Last week I finished my last placement for my placement year which was at the Wildlife Heritage Foundation in Kent. It is crazy how quickly my 9 months of placements have flown by but this last placement was certainly the quickest.

My time at WHF was brilliant and part of me wishes I was still down there now. From getting to educate people about all the cats on site with the guest experiences to looking after the cats and food prep the whole 3 months was incredible. Getting the opportunity to train a cheetah and also do a talk about white lions to over 100 people are experiences that I can not forget and the team there really did make my time so incredible.