Derby College Students Learn Skills In the Wild

A group of Derby College Animal Management students, based at Broomfield Hall, have returned from a 12-day field trip to Mankwe game reserve in South Africa as part of their course.

The 24-strong group had an insight into a wide range of skills including, conservation and research.  The trip included a wildebeest game capture, animal tracking, identification and sexing of different species, meeting lion cubs in a local zoo and a hot air balloon safari.

Animal Management lecturer Stacey Higgs explained: “This was an amazing experience.  We were able to get very close to giraffes, young bull elephant and a white rhino in the national park and had the privilege of seeing a wild leopard feed on an impala.“The students have gained so much practical work experience as well as a cultural trip of a lifetime.“The gamekeepers were so impressed with the students’ behaviour that they were invited to name a two day old giraffe and chose to call him ‘Derby’ – for obvious reasons!”