Mikaela Gerwing:
My inspiration
Working at Taricaya Eco Reserve with a rescued owl monkey (Aotus spp.) in rehabilitation for future reintroduction back into the wild. Credit: Lizzie Blumenthal.
How do the animal, human and environmental factors involved in the rehabilitation and reintroduction of formerly captive wildlife (particularly primates) and the rescue centres themselves, intersect, conflict and navigate this complex conservation process?
My research topic was inspired by the range of previous experiences I have had working and volunteering in wildlife rescue centres. I have seen the power that rescue centres have to change lives — human and animal alike — in both extraordinarily positive and devastatingly negative ways. My research is inspired by my passion for wildlife reintroduction and the opportunity that rescue centres have to make an overwhelming difference for vulnerable animals, people and ecosystems.