Hello, I’m Charles Wheeler. I joined the MSc Global Wildlife Health and Conservation course at Bristol Veterinary School (BVS) in September 2019. It was the connections with Bristol Zoological society that really stood out to me when making the decision to apply to BVS. The practical experience with such a wide range of industry partners turned out to be integral in guiding my future career.

During my time at Bristol, I undertook a research project to evaluate the success of active reforestation in Northwest Madagascar. This was led by experts at Bristol Zoological society and our findings ended up informing how the project continued.

A memorable two-day workshop with Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust taught me how to plan an effective conservation project – more importantly, it also gave me the lightbulb moment of knowing what I wanted to do in my future career. This inspiring course has equipped me with the relevant knowledge, skills, and industry networks to pursue a successful career in wildlife conservation.

I am currently working as a Project Officer for the Madagascar & Mascarenes field programmes at Chester Zoo. My main responsibility is project management delivery for the flagship project in Eastern Madagascar- which involves habitat restoration, species monitoring and community conservation work. I’ve been on three field visits to Madagascar since March last year and I got to experience one of my best animal encounters during one of the trips. While on a hike through the forest I saw four Indri lemurs, one of the largest lemur species in Madagascar, leap overhead and listen to their incredible calls.