Hi! My name is Indigo, I’m 17, and I was at Alturas for three months. I am originally from Canada, but I currently live in the Dominican Republic. I graduated high school in June 2020, and I am planning on studying engineering at the University of British Columbia in September 2021. I applied to be a wildlife husbandry intern at Alturas because I have always been passionate about the environment, and I wanted to experience something completely different from engineering during my gap year. At Alturas, I learned to care for various species of wild animals, including preparing their food, cleaning their enclosures, and building enrichment items. I was also able to help out in the clinic and watch various treatments as well as necropsies. The most satisfying part of the work is when animals are released; I got to attend several releases, including one of a kinkajou that had been at the sanctuary for a few months. As part of my internship, I completed a research project focusing on determining the hearing range of the two northern tamanduas in the sanctuary, Brigit and Tito. The staff and other volunteers/interns are wonderful, and it’s amazing to be surrounded by people that are all passionate about the same thing. In my free time, I was able to go into town, to the beach, to waterfalls, and on several adventures to go zip-lining, surfing, and whale-watching.
Indigo Knights
