My last few days here in Australia were unforgettable. I had the opportunity to work with other veterinary nurses at a local veterinary hospital. I was able to help them prep, monitor and recover patients in surgery. Also, taught them how to utilize some of there Abaxis blood analyzers. Many of there practices are very similar to ours in the United States. There were defiantly some things I will take home with me and share with my practice. The two highlights of my day at the vet hospital was recovering and administering liquid oral medication to a sick koala with Cryptococcus. Koalas are so gentle and somewhat docile. Second, I was able to assist Roni, another veterinary nurse in radio graphing Penny, one of the turtles from the rehabilitation center. Penny has not been using her right front flipper but has a lump of concern on her left side. The x-Ray did not show any evidence of injury to either flipper. They took her back to the rehabilitation to see how she does and may consider further evaluation of needed.

Prior to coming to Australia I was expecting there to be a huge culture shock, but to my surprise there were a lot of similarities to the states and Florida. The weather was not ideal for most of the days while we were in Australia but we made the most of it. I like the way Australia makes the way of paying simpler by rounding up or down and how their prices include tax and tip. There are no hidden fees the price you see is the price you pay. The locals are also very friendly and welcoming to Americans. I felt like I was home in Florida a lot of the time and sometimes forgot I was in Australia. They do use the metric system and drive on the opposite side of the road, but I know the United States is the last country to switch to the metric system and we are the only ones that drive on the side that we do. I could definitely picture myself living in Australia if I had the opportunity. It’s a beautiful country with great values and a very natural way of living.

Once everyone made it to the hostel we had the opportunity to explore the city of Cairns and go on a couple excursions. The first weekend in Australia, we had the chartered a boat to snorkel on the Great Barrier Reef. Since the purpose of this trip is to work with sea turtles; my classmates and I wanted to explore the area where these wonderful creatures call home. It was an experience! We saw several species of fish and sea life (but no wild sea turtles) however, we also first hand the destruction of the Great Barrier Reef. Unfortunately due to global warming, the reef is experiencing the coral bleaching and expected bright colors were mostly washed out in appearance. This destruction of the coral reef made me realize that sea turtles and other sea creatures are rapidly losing their home.

This was a life changing experience for me because I realized how altruistic all of the volunteers were.

On Monday, half of the team went to Fritz Roy island to assist with turtle rescue. The ride to island was a ferry ride that took forty-five minutes and This when we learned how to clean filters and feed sea turtles. The volunteers at the island are clearly devoted to their mission because each person we met understood and knew each turtle individually. The volunteers also took the time to discuss each turtle’s story and prognosis. Although chopping up squid and peeling pawns weren’t an easy job but the satisfaction of watching these beautiful creatures eat food was just simply amazing.

Tuesday May 17th was our first day on Fritzroy Island at the turtle rehabilitation center. A lot of the protocols and procedures that were preformed in the mainland hospital were the same as the island location. Angie a 90-95 year old green turtle will be a forever occupant that the rehabilitation center because she is unable to dive down by herself to get food. She has been on the island for 3 years and has become a part of everyone’s family. Lou who is one my favorites is missing a front and rear flipper but they are on opposite sides so it does not keep him from getting around quickly in the water. Remy another green turtle was stuck in an oil slick and her shell is slowly repairing itself. All of these turtles have their own unique stories and some will be released back to their feeding grounds or where they were found.

Something interesting I learned during dinner tonight was a difference between the U.S. and Australian restaurant culture. I did not finish all my food so I wanted to take it with me back to the hostel. The manager almost refused to let me take the leftover food because they said they weren’t “licensed” and that people come to the restaurant to eat not to take it away. I was surprised, because in the US we can take food to go all the time.

We went to Hartleys crocodile farm yesterday the  19th and it was an unforgettable experience. We held a koala, petted a kangaroo and a wallaby came and sat right our laps. We also came within a few feet of some 4 meter crocodiles. I will never have this opportunity to come into such close contact with these animals again. I am excited to check out Kuranda on Sunday and have a cook out on the barbies near the lagoon.