Students visit Croatia for wildlife study

Students from South Essex College spent two weeks in Croatia to undertake scientific study of the local wildlife. 

Fifteen students from the Level 3 Animal Management and A-Level sciences courses, along with two members of staff travelled to the Krka National Park over the summer with conservation group Operation Wallacea.

Here the students undertook bird, fish, reptile, and butterfly surveys as well as bat and bird ringing. Surveys were conducted by walking transects within the National Park and catching and recording specific animal groups. Days were long, often starting before dawn and finishing after dark, and the terrain hard, but students gained fantastic experience in ecological survey techniques.

For the second week the team moved to Silba Island where students were able to complete their PADI open water scuba diving certificate in an idyllic setting while surveying the sea bed for urchins, an endangered bivalve mollusc, Pinna nobilis, and carry out beach surveys.

Jay Denny, Quality Improvement Manager, Health & Science, said it was a fantastic opportunity for students.

He said: “Students all had a fantastic time and really enjoyed the experience. The techniques learnt will help them in their future studies at university and in the workplace and will add to the experiences reported on their CVs.”

For more information about courses available at South Essex College, visit www.southessex.ac.uk

You can view a photo gallery of the trip on our Facebook page here