Stephen Nightingale, Sarah Pattinson, Carrie Dracos, Sabrina Hanson, Ana Coelho, Chloe Haines, Chloe Power and Serenity Human

Meet our Student Programme participants:

Hello, my name is Chloe Haines. I’m 19 and I am from Oxford, England. I studied Animal Management prior to coming here, and I have now taken a year out of study to get more work experience. Next year I am going to University to study two Bachelor of Science Degrees (B.Sc) in conservation and biology. I have always loved animals from as far back as I can remember, and I’ve always owned pets. Currently I have two dogs, two rabbits and a bearded dragon (lizard). I’ve always wanted to do this line of work, so coming to HESC was like a dream come true for me, and I’m hoping one day to be an endangered species conservationist myself!

Hey, my name is Chloe Power, I’m 19 years old and I’m from Norfolk in England. I have just finished an Animal Management course at the College of West Anglia, and hope to go either onto University to study zoology and molecular ecology, or to go into veterinary nursing. I have always loved animals, and coming to HESC is a once in a lifetime opportunity! I have worked in a zoo before, but seeing the animals behave naturally is amazing, and being able to work so close with them is exhilarating.

Hi my name is Kaylin (Serenity) Human. I live in Germiston in Johannesburg, South Africa. I love animals; I have three horses, two dogs, a rabbit and a parrot. My dream is to become a game ranger. I have two older brothers and an older sister. I love them very much. I know all the antelope species in South Africa and am very knowledgeable when it comes to wild animals.

Hi my name is Sarah Pattinson, I’m from the UK and I’m a registered veterinary nurse. I’ve always loved animals and Africa, being here has been exciting. The first few days have been amazing and beautiful. I have an interest in and would like to work with exotic animals, from tiny reptiles to other bigger animals, as well as to travel more. So being at HESC is in a way a working holiday which is relaxing compared to being back home. It’s amazing to see how different the vet care is here from the UK. The animals being treated here are also much bigger! I really can’t wait for the next few weeks to come, but I am hoping it will go as slowly as possible so I can enjoy every minute.

Hello my name is Ana Coelho, originally from Portugal but live in Switzerland. I had just finished my studies of pharmaceutical sciences when I left Switzerland to come to South Africa, where I’ve been since February. I did English lessons for three months and I worked as a volunteer in a children’s hospital for six weeks in Cape Town.  Now I’m in Hoedspruit for three weeks working with wild animals – mainly cheetahs! It’s completely AMAZING and the people are great!! I love SA!!!!

Hello, my name is Stephen Nightingale, and I am from Aberdeen in Scotland. I am 20 years old and I have lived there all my life. I am a final year photography student. My favourite type of photography is wildlife photography; I have come to do this project because of my love for cheetahs and for finding out more about the conservation of animals. I found out about the Centre from a previous visit to the Centre when I was on holiday in the area.

Ello, I am Carrie Dracos, a third year veterinary student at Auburn, Alabama in the USA. After I graduate I want to work with exotic animals and wildlife. My ultimate goal is to help save the cheetahs and other endangered wildlife species. I have always believed strongly in conservation of wild animals and their natural habitats. HESC is a great advocate for wildlife in SA, and it has been my dream to come work for them, especially to help the lives of cheetahs, and the births of many to come. At home I have two cats, one retired racing greyhound, an iguana, and three Kenyan sand boas, an aquarium full of fish, invertebrates and live plants. In the free time I have from vet school I like to take my dog hiking through the different Alabama National Forests!

Hi, my name is Sabrina Hanson, I’m 27 years old and I was born and raised in New York City. I’ve just graduated from New York University with a Bachelors in Biology. I have worked as a veterinary technician at a small animal hospital, the Bronx Zoo, and currently work for myself, creating and visiting vet tech companies where I can ‘pet-sit’ animals that may need injections or fluids. This is my second time in Hoedspruit and at the Centre. I worked with Dr. Peter Rogers, DVM on a study of ‘Lente’s Cheetahs’ in 2010, and have since attended The US Friends of HESC Foundation dinners charitably provided in the beautiful apartments of Heidi and Allen Roberts in New York City. I am now volunteering at the Centre to learn everything I can about running animal rehabilitation centres, hand rearing orphaned baby animals and trying to decide if I want to move to South Africa permanently to work with wildlife.