Kendal College students have started their journey to South America and South Africa to undertake fieldwork in Ecuador and Eswatini.
The 22 animal care and agriculture students were able to take the trip thanks to the Turing scheme, launched by the Government last year to provide funding for international opportunities.
The 15 students going to Ecuador will be working with a conservation programme based in the Amazon rainforest, which focuses on the rescue and release of wild animals recovered by the authorities from wildlife trafficking and domestic situations.
Working alongside veterinary professionals and zoologists, the group will spend a week working at a wildlife rescue sanctuary and another week at a field research station, learning about wildlife and habitat conservation issues.
Ciara Towers, 16, from Barrow-in-Furness, said: “I am so excited and thankful to be able to go on this upcoming trip. I really think it will help with my education and knowledge of animals.”
Other students will be based on a reserve in the Cloud Forest region of Ecuador’s Andes. They will participate in a training course focused on sustainable farming, agricultural practices and environmentally sustainable land management techniques.
Katie MacDonald, 17, of Penrith, said: “It will be amazing to immerse myself in another culture and visit the second highest city in the world!”
Seven students are going to Eswatini will join a research station in Mbuluzi Game Reserve, focusing on African Savannah conservation. They will train in research techniques and land management. Living at the research station, in one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots, students will participate in monitoring, reptile and avian research and training with local Swazi environmental scientists.
