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ABOUT ME
My name is Brittany Greene and I am an aspiring evolutionary psychologist with a specific interest in animal behavior and cognition.
I am intending to pursue my PhD studying behavioral flexibility (with a focus on problem-solving abilities and innovation) in wildlife.
I received my Bachelor’s Degree in Biology with a minor in Chemistry in 2013 at Christopher Newport University. I also received my Master’s Degree in Environmental Science in 2016 at Christopher Newport University as well. During my undergraduate and graduate careers, I had the opportunity to work on research relating to wetlands. I helped on multiple botanical studies conducted in the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge relating to the conservation of Atlantic White Cedar and I contributed on a study determining the viability of 21 tree species/planting type combinations in a created wetland for four consecutive years. My thesis research for my Master’s Degree focused on the dendroecological study of the growth of Loblolly Pine trees located along a localized elevational gradient and a localized and multi-site salinity gradient as a proxy for exposure to future sea level rise related stressors, including inundation and increased salinity exposure, along the York River Estuary in Virginia. In my time working on wetlands, I not only honed my botanical skills, but also formed a solid background in ecology. Following my Master’s degree completion, I worked as an environmental scientist for a locality for nearly two years where I had the opportunity to conduct wetland delineations and perform water quality testing as part of my job duties.
In 2018, I left my job as an Environmental Scientist to explore wildlife conservation work in order to gain a diverse experience prior to pursuing a PhD working with wildlife. I had the opportunity to collect and manage demographic data for multiple species of bats for a project to monitor populations and determine management strategies for populations of Mexican Free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis) and Townsend’s Big-eared bats (Corynorhinus townsendii) in and around the Great Basin area for the National Parks Service and Nevada Department of Wildlife. In early 2020, I was also employed as a Bat Gate Monitor with Great Basin Institute as an Americorps member serving with the Nevada Department of Wildlife in which I performed solo surveys of existing bat gates on decommissioned mines across the state of Nevada. I also had the pleasure of interning at the Virginia Zoo with numerous avian species, in which I helped in the collection of fecal matter for a study of age related to hormone levels in egg-laying Cinereous Vultures. Additionally, in 2019, I spent nearly a month in the Amazon Rainforest working with camera trapping of felids, performing avian and herpetological surveys, and aiding in felid scat collection and preparation for microscopic hair analysis.
In late 2019 and early 2020, I worked as a Carnivore Intern at Wildlife Safari in Winston, Oregon. I had the pleasure of providing daily husbandry care for cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus), African lions (Panthera leo), Sumatran tigers (Panthera tigris sumatrae), Brown Bears (Ursus arctos), and Black Bears (Ursus americanus). Through my internship, I had the incredible opportunity to work free contact with cheetahs at the park, including mother-rejected/hand-raised ambassador cheetahs. Wildlife Safari, an AZA-accredited zoo institution, has the top-cheetah breeding program in the Western Hemisphere and second in the world. Under the guidelines put in place through the AZA Species Survival Plan for cheetahs, I was lucky enough to aid in observing breeding cheetahs for signs of estrous, collecting and drying fecal samples for hormone analysis, assisting with moving breeding cats when signs of estrous were observed, and monitoring cats following the occurrence of breeding. I also had the unique opportunity to perform daily husbandry training with the lions, tigers, and cheetahs that I worked with.
My most fulfilling and exciting work to date was acting an intern, a volunteer, and a cognitive researcher at Panther Ridge Conservation Center in Loxahatchee, FL. I began my time there working as a full-time paid Exotic Feline Intern for three months where I had the chance to conduct husbandry work with nine feline species including free contact with: cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus), an Amur leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis), Clouded leopards (Neofelis nebulosa), servals (Leptailurus serval), caracals (Caracal caracal), fishing cats (Prionailurus viverrinus), and ocelots (Leopardus pardalis). I was also lucky enough to work protected contact with jaguars (Panthera onca), a cougar (Puma concolor), and an Asiatic leopard (Panthera pardus). When my internship officially ended, I stayed on as a volunteer at Panther Ridge Conservation Center for an additional six months, continuing to grow my zookeeping skill set working alongside exotic felines. In addition to volunteering, I also conducted cognitive research in the form of IACUC-approved multi-access box testing with cheetahs in collaboration with Dr. Jennifer Vonk in the Psychology Department at Oakland University, and impossible task testing with seven feline species in collaboration with PhD student Victoria O'Connor and Dr. Jennifer Vonk at Oakland University. I enjoyed my experience so much at Panther Ridge, that I am now currently working as a full-time zookeeper there!
About Me: Services
IN MY FREE TIME
About Me: Testimonials
I have always loved and been fascinated by animals and, as a result, I incorporate wildlife conservation into all aspects of my life. I got married to the love of my life in 2017 in South Africa at a highly researched and legitimate elephant sanctuary.
Photo credit: Villiers Steyn
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