Joana Amil Peixoto, 29, from Lisbon, is a veterinarian at CNRLI since December 2015.
Joana always wanted to be a veterinarian to work with wild felines. “It has always been my dream.” After the Veterinary Medicine degree, her first job was in a clinic for small animals. “And just a year later the opportunity arose. I saw the advertisement of CNRLI, I applied (always thinking it would be impossible) and my dream came true!”
Joana arrived at the Iberian-lynx breeding centre knowing that “this was the most endangered feline in the world and that everything was been doing to recover it.”
Since then, the Iberian-lynx became her work. “It is an incredible feline, both in beauty and in personality.” As time goes by “we get to know each individual better, its habits and its routines. But, in spite of this, they are always surprising us.”
For Joana, the best part of working at the centre is “to be involved in this project that has always enchanted me. It is very rewarding to follow the development of the cubs, which culminates in releasing them in nature.” Moreover, “it is very interesting to be able to make a difference in the quality of life of the animals living in CNRLI for breeding purposes. The quality of our work is reflected in the quality of life of these animals.”
The most difficult thing is the great demanding in terms of time availability. “There must always be a vet nearby, and this limits what we can do with our free time. But I do it with all my heart. I’m here for them.”
[divider type=”thick”]The Birth of an Iberian-Lynx
A team from Wilder has been at CNRLI for two days on March 2015. In this series we show you how is it to work at this centre and all the people who take care of this endangered species.