Submitted by Nicholas Minto on the 2019 winter session program in Australia sponsored by the Department of Chemical Engineering…
So far on my study abroad program to Melbourne, I have seen and done many of the attractions here in Australia. One of my favorite events was going to the Phillip Island Wildlife Park. This park was a lot like a zoo in that it housed many of Australia’s native creatures to be seen by tourists. My favorite part of this park though was the free range area in which we were able to feed kangaroos and emus. This is one of the highlights of my program as I had never even seen either a kangaroo or emu and all of the sudden I was feeding them. I was a little hesitant at first, however, it was an awesome experience to be so close to these animals that cannot be found anywhere else.
Later on, we went to a place called “Seal Rock” off of Phillip Island which is the largest colony of seals in the world: home of about 70,000 seals. Our tour guide, however, said that this number used to be in the hundred of thousands before human settlement in Australia. After visiting Seal Rock, we went to the Phillip Island penguin parade in which hundreds of penguins make their daily journey from sea to land around sunset in order to avoid dangerous predators such as eagles. This was an incredible experience watching a penguin migration in person. While waiting for the penguins, the announcer explained that penguin numbers are beginning to fall due to climate change and trash in the oceans. This made me think about how I can make changes such as reducing use and disposal of plastics and other garbage that get in the ocean and affects our wildlife.
