What is here today can be gone tomorrow. Every life is a miracle, every life deserves a second chance.
- Gail Martin -
Behind the Scenes: A Day in the Life of a Critter Care Intern. Meet Morgan.
Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from?
Morgan: I'm from England, from the South of England, Cornwall.
I've always lived near nature since I was about 10. A lot of beaches, rural countryside, that kind of thing. I came here on January 11th and I'm supposed to stay until July 20th, but I might extend again since I've already extended before. (Update: Morgan did go home on July 20th 😢)
What’s your background? Do you have any training, or is this your first animal rehabilitation work experience?
Morgan: I have done work experience with animals before. I've worked at a hedgehog rescue center and at a zoo. I'm also doing a zoology degree at university. I'm in my third year now, with this being my placement year.
Which school are you going to?
Morgan: It's called
Hartpury University (In the UK). It specializes in animal agriculture, sports, and equine studies. We have a lot of animals there for behavioral surveys, animal handling, and other activities.
What's your eventual career goal?
Morgan: Honestly, since coming here, I really love animal rehabilitation. It's quite addictive. Once you start, you can't really stop because you can't imagine doing anything else. It's very fulfilling.
It gives you such a purpose in life. If I was at home sitting on a sofa, I'd think, "I could be doing this right now." The rush of rehabilitating an animal and releasing it is a feeling like no other. I also worked in South Africa with my university on a game reserve for two and a half weeks. It was incredible, very different from here but amazing for different reasons.
What’s a typical day like for you here at Critter Care?
Morgan: No day is typical, which is what's great about it. You wake up depending on your feed schedule, around seven-ish, and sort all your animals out, clean them, and put out food. Then you have breakfast and get ready for the morning meeting at 8:45. We get a rundown of the day's tasks and assign people to different roles. I'm a team leader, so I help with that.
After assigning tasks, we do the morning clean of all areas of the center. Then we feed our animals again, especially those on milk feeds. After that, we might do various tasks like lawn care, deep cleaning, or working with volunteers. Lunch is around 12-ish, but it depends on the day. I was also a bear intern, so that took up a lot of time. We’d clean their enclosures, change straw, and put in enrichment.
What is enrichment?
Morgan: Enrichment is mental stimulation for the animals. It can be food-based, natural materials, or toys. It helps them learn basic skills like foraging and keeps them mentally active. We always try to provide some form of enrichment to keep them engaged.
Is there a favorite animal that you've worked with?
Morgan: That's hard because they are so different. When I came here from England, I had no experience with these animals. Raccoons, for example, are seen as pests, but they are honestly the best animals. They're playful, touchy, and have a mix of human, dog, and cat traits. I also love large carnivores, so being a bear intern was special.
What was it like to work with the bears?
Morgan: It was amazing. I also got to go on bear releases, which was a full-circle moment. Seeing them grow from cubs to big bears and then releasing them was incredible. I also work with opossums, which are funny and sweet. Initially, I was unsure about them, but seeing their personalities made me warm to them.
What's the toughest part of your job?
Morgan: When you care for an animal and it doesn't make it, that's tough. Like in a hospital emergency room, some animals come in very rough condition and don't survive. Another tough part is remembering to take care of yourself. We do long hours and get so involved with the animals that we sometimes forget to eat or drink. But the staff and interns here are great at reminding each other to take care of ourselves.
Living on campus can intensify things a little. I get cabin fever sometimes, but we live in a beautiful place here and can go for walks. It's very involved when you're an intern here. For example, with Tato, a dwarf raccoon, we didn't really get a day off because she trusted us and no one else could go in for cross-contamination reasons. It was tough but seeing her improve and become herself again was amazing.
What's the biggest value of a place like Critter Care?
Morgan: It's amazing to see how we give animals a second chance. Of course, we see animals that don't make it, but it's all worth it when you see an animal like Tato get better. It's the most rewarding thing I've ever done. I've extended my stay because I love it here. There are ups and downs, but the feeling you get is like no other. It's a unique, full-on experience, and it's worth it. The friendships and memories you make are invaluable.
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