Hello everyone! My name is Katherine Brantley and I am a Summer 2017 Giant Panda Intern with PDXWildlife! I will be performing behavioral observations for determining giant panda personality profiles. Endangered species and conservation have always been huge passions of mine, so I’m extremely excited—and honored!—to have the opportunity to join this project in China.

In May of 2015, I received my B.S. in Animal Science and Marine Biology from Cornell University. Shortly after graduating, I began a volunteer research assistantship in Madagascar studying the critically endangered greater bamboo lemur. Living in a tent for six months—without running water or electricity—was a true introduction to conservation field work! With a team of local guides, I spent my days tracking radio-collared lemurs and collecting behavioral, population dynamics, and habitat usage data.

I am currently the Red Wolf Intern at Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge. Here, I care for the captive colony of critically endangered red wolves, and I assist the Red Wolf Recovery Team with the tracking and processing of the few remaining red wolves in the wild. It’s been an unbelievable experience working on the forefront of this recovery effort. After my Giant Panda internship, I will be pursuing a master’s degree in Environmental Sciences and Policy at Johns Hopkins University. I hope my time in China and my future studies in environmental sciences will help me start a lasting career in conservation!