Ambassador Profile – Emily Rue, University of Edinburgh, Scotland.
Hi, I’m Emily – Committee member of the Dick Vet Wildlife Conservation Society at Edinburgh University. I have been a part of The Expedition Project Ambassador team since 2020.
Since working with The Expedition Project I have been helping with live streams and developing online courses with the help of Wildlife Vets like Dr Peter Rogers, and fellow ambassadors from around the world
WHEN DID I FIRST REALISE I WANTED TO BE A VET?
From the age of six! Animals have always been close to my heart and at a young age this is the only career path I could think of pertaining to animals. Through the years, the more I learned about the vet profession the more I fell in love. The only difference between my career goals at 6 vs now (25), is that I want to work with wildlife instead of cats and dogs.
WHAT IS MY MOTIVATION TO BECOME A VET?
I’ve always wanted to help animals and preserve the environment, so that remains my motivation to become a vet. Additionally, I find the medical side of science fascinating.
MY BIGGEST TIP IF YOU WANT TO STUDY TO BECOME A VET IS…
Be persistent with your studies but give yourself something to do outside the vet world. I love the veterinary world, but it can be overwhelming at times. Giving yourself an escape for a little bit helps reset your brain to see the positives of the profession again. For me, I like to participate in sports, whether it be lacrosse, hockey, or recently football!
THE HARDEST THING ABOUT BEING A VET IS…
Knowing that sometimes you can’t save an animal. Our prime motivation as vets is to help animals, and often we are the type of people who need to fix things. This is not always possible. Sometimes it is hard to know when to give up. It is even harder when you doubt the decision once you do.
WHAT IS MY FAVOURITE ANIMAL?
For any animal lover, this is always a tough question but my favorite is only ironically so: the Ocean Sun Fish is simply I’ll confess, this changes often. Currently, my favorite animal is the elephant seal, though sea turtles are slowly taking over as my new obsession. Most of the time my favorite animal has something to do with the ocean, probably due to growing up in Florida.
MY FAVOURITE ANIMAL RELATED STORY IS…
This summer I had the opportunity to volunteer at a sea turtle hospital in Florida. The hospital rehabilitates animals with a tumor-growing disease known as fibropapillomatosis. The rehabilitation process often takes up to six months or longer. However, I was able to witness the release of one of the green sea turtles, Goya, after her long recovery journey. As someone who hopes to work in the wildlife profession, release is our overall goal. I was ecstatic to be able to see this firsthand.
MY FAVOURITE ANIMAL PHOTO I HAVE TAKEN IS…
This little guy sparked my love for elephant seals. In summer of 2019 I was able to visit Point Reyes in California while many of the elephant seals were breeding, and the yearlings (like this one) were molting. Being able to see a wild seal this close and to observe their behavior was just amazing to me. Not to mention, the yearlings are absolutely adorable!
