I'm 28 and live in North West England. I grew up in Kent and spent a lot of time in nature, with parents that also loved wildlife. I have two daughters, and I am determined that they will also learn to love and advocate for nature. My wildlife journey began then and has evolved and grown into an unsatiable passion for wildlife and the environment. ​

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I have three degrees, a First Class in BSc Zoology, a Distinction in MSc Zoo Conservation Biology and a postgraduate teaching degree (I'm a secondary school Science teacher!). For my BSc dissertation I investigated the survival rates of European hedgehogs admitted to rehabilitation centres, and whether this data could be used to monitor wild hedgehog abundance. For my MSc thesis, I had data from the European Endangered Species Program (EEP) and investigated the success of captive breeding of the Mountain Bongo. 

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I have visited Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands, exploring and learning about conservation issues in different ecosystems such as the cloud forest, subtropical rainforest and urban areas in Ecuador, and the volcanic land and oceans of the Galapagos archipelago. I completed research in Poland in the primeval Białowieża Forest using camera trapping and transect sampling to investigate mammal presence, a very different environment to Ecuador of course! I also completed research at Jersey Zoo looking at the differences in maternal behaviours of two of the Sumatran Orangutan mothers and the effect on their infants. 

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I've volunteered as the Blog Coordinator for Conservation Optimism, where I had the opportunity to communicate and collaborate with conservation experts across the world. It gave me an insight into the current issues facing wildlife conservation, which is what I want to raise awareness of in this blog, as well as sharing my personal experiences and insights into all manner of species.