Placement student spotlight: Francesca Tyrrell
Place of study: University of Manchester
Course: BSc Zoology
Placement focus: Owston’s civets
Q. What’s your role at Newquay Zoo?
A. I’m currently working at Newquay Zoo in the role of zoo-based research student. I am two years through a Zoology degree at the University of Manchester, and this year contributes to my degree in the form of an industrial experience placement.
Q. What does your placement involve?
A. My main project for this year is an animal behaviour study on the endangered Owston’s Civet, trying to discover more about their mating behaviours and courtship rituals to aid the breeding programme. This information will help keepers arrange the best environments for breeding success, and aid organisations that work with wild populations too.
Additionally I am involved in animal welfare assessments at the zoo and native species surveys in the surrounding area.
Owston’s civets are endangered in the wild and are solitary, elusive creatures, which makes it hard for people to study their movements.
Work like Francesca’s research can help us to protect the species for the future:
Q. What inspired you to study zoology?
A. I’ve always been interested in biology, and studied it at A-Level, along with maths, chemistry and PE. My passion for biology grew, and I became particularly interested in how animals interact with each other and their environment. When the time came to research what different biological science courses were on offer, discovering a BSc in Zoology was a pleasant surprise, as it seemed a perfect match for my interests.
Q. What led you to do a placement here at Newquay?
A. In my first year, I decided to swap to the degree option that includes a year of industrial experience, and in my second year I applied to several conservation and zoo-based research placements in the UK. I was lucky enough to be successful in applying for a placement with Wild Planet Trust here at Newquay Zoo.
Q. Why are placements like this valuable?
A. In addition to undertaking the placement here at Newquay, I have also had a multitude of experiences that combine my love of both animals and travelling, from volunteering at a dog shelter in Romania to aiding sea turtle conservation in Panama. Experiences like this are great to have on your CV, but they don’t have to be exotic, I think that any demonstration of initiative is great!
Q. What are you enjoying most about your placement?
A. I can say that I have loved living in Newquay so far – the surf capital of the UK! My time at the zoo has also been amazing, I have been able to see many different departments and how the industry works. This ranges from experience in the day to day maintenance and care of the animals, to the wider community of zoos in the form of studbooks and organisations like EAZA. A fun moment in particular was feeding the remarkable slender loris, although having to catch locusts for this was a slightly jumpy experience!
