By Hannah Tomaszewski
On November 4th, Kevin Hynes from Delmar NY visited PSC. Kevin does most of the wildlife necropsies for the state of New York, and has experience working with a wide range of taxonomic groups. From salamander larvae to Bengal tigers, Kevin expresses his love for his job, and admits how lucky he is to do what he does. Following his natural science seminar he took this semester’s wildlife techniques class to the lab to perform a necropsy on a bald eagle; a rare experience for many of those present. While he was walking us through his process, students were excited and impressed by his wide range of natural history knowledge.
“You can never know enough to do this job” he says, as he explains how he often seeks advice from co-workers when he comes across something new. Kevin’s passion for his work became more and more apparent as he examined the stomach and intestinal contents of the bird. “Every time you open up the stomach, it’s like a Christmas present. Sometimes, it’s a little disappointing” he jokes, as the stomach turns up empty.
This natural science seminar helped demonstrate to many students that there are a wide variety of jobs available to us after graduation. Many of the students that I talked to who attended the necropsy had few words to describe the experience, as it was so unique and exciting. “Freaking cool”, says Robert Craig. The wildlife techniques students found this experience to be very beneficial, and we appreciate Kevin spending the time to perform the necropsy.
I’m Thompson, a junior studying Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences. My dream is to one day work in the rehabilitation of wildlife, as well as to teach. I have a strong passion for learning and teaching, and love sharing that with others. Alongside this, I have a deep respect for the written word and its power to move people; which is what I hope, someday, to accomplish myself.