Wildlife conservation and community volunteer projects and internships worldwide
Every morning I wake up to the absolute racket that the insects outside make. The cicadas are among the loudest of this out-of-tune orchestra, emitting an electronic sound not unlike a car alarm. But I’ve already given insects a lot of attention in my last post, so today I’ll focus on the other animals I’ve […]
December 5th 2023
My journey to the rainforest could have been right out of a nature documentary. As we crossed the river Las Piedras, a tributary of the Amazon River (I think), we were surrounded by exotic-looking trees and colourful birds and butterflies. As the research centre is so remote, the food supplies must be collected in the […]
November 26th 2023
My adventure began at 3.30 am. Far too early a start if you ask me. The many people happily drinking pints at Glasgow airport at this early hour seemed to disagree. Someone said to me that it seems like more of an adventure if you have to leave for a flight in the middle of […]
November 19th 2023
Hola! In my last post, I shared the research that I’ll be taking part in at the Amazon Ecology and Wildlife Rehabilitation Programme, in Peru. As my exciting journey has not yet begun, today I’ll give you a glimpse into my preparations for the upcoming adventure… Saving up: I’ve dedicated my summer to working in […]
November 11th 2023
After deliberating between re-downloading Instagram and embracing BeReal, I’ve chosen instead to write an informal blog to document my adventures in South America. Over the upcoming ten weeks, I’ll be living in the Peruvian Amazon rainforest at the remote Amazon Ecology and Wildlife Rehabilitation Programme research station. During this time, I will be involved in […]
November 5th 2023
“I dwell in possibility” – Emily Dickinson I came across one of my old travel diaries the other day and found passages I had written in 2018 when I spent my university summer travelling up the north coast of South America from Peru to Ecuador. The entries begin with this, “Here I am in the […]
September 27th 2023
Under the light of the moon, they pad through the snow along familiar game trails, following the banks of rivers, forest roads and ridgelines, stopping periodically to sniff the frosty air and scan the slopes below for movement. While bears lie hidden in their dens, wolves must continue to hunt, regardless of the weather. With […]
August 25th 2023
Background By profession, I’m a consulting engineer. I run a small firm that provides advisory services to infrastructure investors reviewing investment opportunities and litigation lawyers locked in contractual disputes. I’ve worked in Peru on a number of occasions; mainly in Lima – apart from the obligatory trip to Machu Picchu. This time was different. I […]
July 10th 2023
Asking the question In the year 2000, American ethnobotanist Paul Alan Cox asked the question, “will tribal knowledge survive the millennium?” As the world becomes increasingly globalised, and approximately one indigenous language dies out every other week, the question Cox asks still has sense and relevance. Twenty-one years later, however, I travelled to a village […]
March 5th 2023
