Hello! My name is Rebekah and I am a senior studying environmental studies. I have many interests including conservation, wildlife biology, estuarine science, and ecosystem management. Going into this semester, I was very open-minded about my internship placement. While I am very indecisive, I did know I wanted to gain hands-on experience, I wanted to push myself out of my comfort zone, and I wanted to learn something new. Interning at the NC Aquarium on Roanoke Island was the perfect place for me to accomplish all three of those things!
I interned with Britt Purtee, the head of animal husbandry at the NC Aquarium on Roanoke Island in Manteo. I had the privilege to learn from Britt and other aquarists including Sheena Jones and Jess Foti. One of the first things Britt told me was that being an aquarist is essentially being a glorified janitor. After my first few days, I could definitely attest to that!
A typical day at the aquarium started with helping Sheena with her salt-water tanks. I learned the interworkings of life support systems- a tank’s plumbing, pumps, skimmers, and filters. I cleaned exhibits and prepped and fed them their food. Sheena taught me how to care for saltwater environments, create diets, target feed specific animals, and how to make sure no one gets left out at feeding time.
I also had the opportunity to overcome my fear of snakes and learn from Jess, a herpetologist at the aquarium. Each week I would check temperatures of reptile exhibits, feed lizards and toads, and make box turtle food. I helped with routine medical exams for the reptiles including taking weights, fecal samples, and treating quarantined frogs for nematodes. I helped conduct animal welfare assessments for reptiles and Jess was a great person to talk to about wellness for wild animals in captivity. Jess also took care of the otter exhibit at the aquarium and each week I measured their food and made them treats! I helped implement enrichment activities including changing up exhibit décor, creating puzzle-like toys, and painting!
One of my favorite parts of each day was feeding the sharks in the Graveyard of the Atlantic exhibit. Britt shared his experience with caring for the sharks for the past 20 years and I learned how to care for a large system with predators. It was always fun to feed the sharks and get to know each of their personalities as they gobbled up mackerels and herring.
I looked forward to my internship each week and I was so thankful to have an internship where I felt like I was doing work work, not just schoolwork. I loved the hands-on work of husbandry and the constant collaboration and learning within the staff- there is so much to know in this field!
While I gained so many new skills and experiences, learning new things often comes with some humbling moments. There was a day, definitely a Monday, where I dropped an entire container of food into an open lid tank and splashed a bunch of visitors below (they looked up and were very confused why it rained on them indoors) or when I spilled squid ink all over my shoes. I felt like I was in over my head sometimes but my mentors were kind, funny, and eager to share their passions with me.
I really appreciate everyone in the husbandry department at the NC Aquarium on Roanoke Island, especially Britt, Jess, and Sheena. I am so thankful for the patient and encouraging environment they created!
My internship was one of my favorite parts of being at the field site. To prospective OBXFS students interested in biology, animal care, conservation, or plumbing, I recommend getting in touch with the aquarium.
If you want to reach your 10,000 step goal every day, feel like you can never learn enough, or refine your shrimp peeling skills, being an aquarist will check all of those boxes!
– Rebekah Littauer