Hannah Wagner feeds a penguin as part of her summer internship with the Newport Aquarium in Kentucky. Photo provided by Hannah Wagner
For most students, going home for the summer means working at a fairly mundane job, such as in retail or the fast-food industry. However, sophomore Hannah Wagner from Cincinnati had a much cooler experience.
Wagner worked as an aquatic husbandry intern with penguins at Newport Aquarium in Kentucky for the summer. Wagner said the internship was a good fit because it overlaps with what she is studying at Bluffton.
“I was interested in the internship because I am a biology major with a pre-veterinary medicine concentration,” Wagner said. “I have always been interested in animal science, and this internship allowed me to gain unique hands-on experience with five different species of cold penguins – gentroos, rockhoppers, macaroni penguins, chinstrap penguins and king penguins.”
Wagner’s primary responsibility was taking care of the penguins. She began a typical day by preparing food for the cold penguin exhibit. Once the sun rose – that is, when they turned the lights on – she would clean the exhibit. This entailed gathering leftover food from the day before, washing the food tubs, melting the snow, spraying down the rocks and refilling water tubs.
After the exhibit was clean, Wagner brought in fresh food tubs and hand-fed the cold penguins. She would then prepare food and feed two fish tanks, as well as help prepare food for the stingrays.
“My favorite part of the job was working hands-on with the cold penguins,” Wagner said. “I learned a lot about penguin handling, typical and unusual behaviors, and diet. One interesting fact that I learned during my internship is that cold penguins in captivity live about two times as long as those that live in the wild.”
While Wagner said she enjoyed the internship overall, she also faced some unique challenges that came with the job.
“If I had to choose the hardest part, it would have to be working in the cold conditions of the exhibit for extended periods of time,” Wagner said. “Although I spent numerous hours in the exhibit with the penguins, I never seemed to get used to the cold.”
Wagner’s internship was filled with unforgettable, unique experiences. Looking back on the summer, the moment that stands out the most to Wagner was a learning experience at the very beginning.
“My first task was picking up a penguin and placing her in the exhibit pool,” Wagner said. “The penguin’s name is Victoria, and she is a macaroni penguin. This experience was remarkable and helped me better understand how to handle penguins properly.”
Wagner’s long-term goal is to become a veterinarian, and overall, she feels as though this internship was a good stepping stone to get her into the field she one day wants to work in.
“I will forever be grateful for my summer internship because I was given the opportunity to learn and interact with animals better and understand the role of a biologist who works in animal husbandry,” Wagner said.
