by Carine Milheiro
Each week at Gremar Institute has taught me something new, like animal feeding, delivering medication, and handling techniques. I’ve gained a lot of hands-on knowledge and insight into what real wildlife rehabilitation looks like! This experience made me even more passionate about animal care and environmental conservation.
One of the most valuable things I learned was how to properly handle the turtles, ensuring both their safety and mine.
At GREMAR Institute, I’ve had the incredible opportunity to rotate through different sectors. In my first week, I worked in stabilization, where I learned about the initial care given to animals upon arrival. During the second week, I was in the enclosure area, assisting with cleaning, feeding, weighing, administering medication, and monitoring medical conditions.
I also learned basic physical therapy techniques for rehabilitation. In the third week, I joined the sea turtle sector, measuring water temperature, observing flotation types, reporting changes to vets, and helping with cleaning, feeding, and treatments. Currently, in my fourth week, I’m working in the kitchen, preparing meals and administering medications.
Another thing I focused on was animal feeding. I learned about the different diets and feeding techniques for different species, depending on their condition, age, and natural behavior. Each species requires specific care, and I started to understand how nutrition plays a key role in the recovery process.
I feel incredibly grateful for the chance to work with such amazing professionals and animals, many of which I had never even seen in person before. I absolutely loved working with sea turtles, marine birds, raptors, and even some wild terrestrial animals. Two species I especially loved working with were cormorants (biguás 🇧🇷) and boobies (atobás 🇧🇷) both incredibly interesting seabirds with unique behaviors.
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