A transformative experience!

I decided to stay with The Kenya Bird of Prey Trust for one of my BSc internships. In total I stayed 2.5 months and as the title suggests, it was a transformative experience for me.

I choose the trust because I wanted to learn more about raptor conservation. And as I had hoped, I got to experience all facets of raptor conservation, whether it was rehabilitation, education or research, I was involved in all aspects! This allowed me to gain a complete understanding of what this working field is like.

The week I arrived I was immediately involved in the trapping and tagging of Augur buzzards. So during my first week I had already acquired skills and knowledge I will be able to use in my future career.

A lot of the work at the trust is hands on, which for me is the best way to learn! Besides working with the birds, I really enjoyed crafting hoods and working on nest boxes. None of this would be possible without the hospitality of my supervisors; Shiv and Jai. They often invited me over to their own place to work on the previously mentioned crafts. They even invited me over for lunch or dinner on multiple occasions. Furthermore, I was also given the trust to host the guided tours at the raptor centre. I learned how to educate groups of people in a professional manner.
I also often visited the clinic where I got to work with Juliet, the trust veterinarian. Being in the clinic taught me a lot about the injuries raptors often suffer and how to treat these.

I lived in the container complex on Kilimandege Sanctuary. The place is very comfortable and the view is incredible, waking up with zebra, dik-dik, waterbuck all right out front of the complex is the best!
The complex is complete and has everything you would need. Even when I was missing something or was in need of anything, Jai would make it his primary mission to make sure it would be handled. During my stay I built a tree-nursery at the complex, which will now become a part of volunteers daily work. This was any future volunteer can contribute to the improvement of Kilimandege Sanctuary by planting trees!

When you're not busy at the trust, there is plenty of cool places to explore. I visited Cresent Island, Hells Gate and my favourite experience has to be climbing Mount Longonot for my birthday together with Jai. After which Jai and Shiv cooked me the best pasta carbonara I've probably ever had.

Lastly I think my visit to the Soysambu Raptor Centre is one I should mention. I got to stay with Simon Thomsett for a week and it was an incredible experience. I got to handle some incredible raptors and learnt a lot of practical skills. I got to sleep in a treehouse and saw lions up close! Simon also has a very strong perspective on raptor conservation which again broadened my views and perspective.

I've learned a lot during my time at the trust and ultimately it has helped me figure out what direction I want to go in with my career!
I'm grateful and thankful to Shiv, Jai and the trust in its entirety for the incredible experience!