Abigail Glenn on campus
Baby sloths that had to be kept from eating dirt, a blind parrot that liked to sit on a person’s shoulders and a baby howler monkey with a penchant for sitting on top of a volunteer’s head were a few of the animals Abigail Glenn worked with during her internship at the Jaguar Rescue Center in Costa Rica.
Glenn, a senior conservation biology major, fell in love with the not-for-profit rescue center years earlier while on a family vacation. She returned to the rescue center that rehabilitates and releases native animal species in Costa Rica in spring 2019.
While her duties had her working with parrots, toucans and baby sloths, it was the primates that stole her heart and solidified her desire to work with primates.
“The best part of the internship was the days I got to spend my entire shift working with baby primates, especially when I got take them out to the jungle and help them climb, or play quietly with them when they were tired.
“This was my all-time favorite responsibility,” she said, “and it was an extremely rewarding experience — one I hold very close to my heart.”
“I had never closely worked with primates,” Glenn said, “much less interacted with them on any scale. The ability to work with primates has always been a dream of mine — one I did not think I would reach until much later in life. I sat with those babies, day after day, building relationships with each of them.”
Months later, Glenn finds herself thinking about the Jaguar Rescue Center — even the moments she spent washing dishes — on a daily basis. “No matter how small the task, I was still a part of something much greater. I was surrounded by people who shared a similar passion and believed in helping these animals as much as I do,” she said.
Glenn was able to focus on the unpaid internship with the help of an ESF Career Fellowship.
The Career Fellowships are intended to promote the career and professional development of ESF students. The program has supported nearly 100 students over the last seven years. The program recently was buoyed by a $250,000 gift from alumni Jesse Fink and Betsy Mitchell-Fink — the second such gift from the Finks since the program’s inception.
In Glenn’s case, it provided the financial security to gain experience in her chosen field.
“I funded the trip by myself and the fellowship enabled me to work there without worrying about money. Without the fellowship, I would’ve felt a lot of financial stress during the trip.”
“The experience solidified my desire to work with primates and set the foundation for my future in primate rehabilitation,” she said.
Glenn graduated in December and is applying for a position at the Pacific Primate Sanctuary on Maui.
Karen B. Moore is editor of ESF Magazine.
