In 2019, I traveled to Santa Catarina, Brazil to begin my PhD research at the wildlife rehabilitation organization Instituto Espaço Silvestre. I worked with the endangered A. vinacea during their rehabilitation process and performed two tests, a predator discrimination test and an anti-predator training. The parrots showed an increase in predator discrimination and vigilance behaviors, both essential for survival in the wild. Additionally, I learned about wildlife conservation in Brazil and rehabilitation techniques used on animals confiscated from the illegal pet trade from my Brazilian colleagues. This experience was invaluable to furthering my career and PhD. I was awarded the J. William Fulbright Fellowship because of my work during my Cosmos Scholarship grant period, and I am now in Brazil continuing this research.
