Bryce Hunter at the Rutgers Animal Farm on the George H. Cook campus. Photo credit: Office of Public Outreach and Communication – Chris Guttierez.
If there’s one thing Bryce Hunter has honed after his first year on the pre-veterinary track of the animal sciences program, it’s focus. The Honors Program at the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences is more demanding than his high school self could have anticipated, but that has only strengthened his resolve to reach his dream – becoming an exotic animal veterinarian.
“It’s harder than I thought it would be,” said Hunter, who came to Rutgers from his hometown of Cherry Hill. “I knew there would be something I wasn’t prepared for. It’s a lot of science hands-on, being humbled. It’s a lot of feeling like you’re not ready and having to work until you are ready.”
Hunter has been working at an animal hospital as a veterinary technician assisting experienced vets with daily exams. As challenging as the coursework can be, working in the field is the real test for veterinarians-to-be. It can make a student think twice about their decision.
Bryce Hunter at the Rutgers Animal Farm. Photo credit: Office of Public Outreach and Communication – Chris Guttierez.
For Hunter? “Not at all,” said Hunter. “Being able to gain meaningful experience in the field made it stronger. I feel like I’m just getting started.”
“Just getting started” feels like an understatement with years more coursework and a later residency to go. Considering that he’s held this ambition since he was a toddler watching Go Diego Go, a cartoon featuring Dora the Explorer’s animal-loving cousin, he’s closer to the finish than the start.
The animal science major at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences has four tracks – pre-veterinary, lab animal science, companion animal science and equine and production animal sciences. Most veterinarians work with pets, as they have the most common medical demands. Oftentimes, exotic animal veterinarians have a specialty, and Hunter, in an ideal world, would work with primate and apes, possibly in wildlife rehabilitation.
“Exotic animals are the most exciting. You don’t come in contact with them in the U.S.,” said Hunter, who is inspired by Jane Goodall, the famed zoologist and foremost expert on chimpanzees. “I’ve always wanted to work with primates and apes. They’re the most intelligent mammals besides us. There’s not a lot of animals that will accept you like apes will. Gorillas can learn sign language, which is so cool. I’ve always wanted to have that real connection and see what that’s like in real time.”
For now, Hunter is staying focused and spending time with more familiar types of primates – roommates. Now in his second year, he’s moved off campus with a combination of friends from high school and college.
“It’s made life a lot easier,” said Hunter, who is on a Quentin Tarantino movie kick with his roommates – a far cry from his Nickelodeon days. “Being able to settle in without having to worry about finding your way. I met my roommates my first day here and we’ve been inseparable since.”
Hunter is looking forward to the next few years, getting more immersed in his studies and veterinary work, and possibly even a study abroad trip to Africa where exotic animals of all kinds will need his help.
Said Hunter, “I have the itch to start diagnosing and taking care of these animals. I want to get better at this and get to the next level.”
