Dee Friesen | Arts + Life Editor
Miranda Wallace, a senior Biology major at Buena Vista University, has spent her four years of college with the world as her classroom. During her time at BVU, she’s had numerous opportunities to travel and conduct research around the U.S. and around the world. She has been to places including Chile, Perth, Australia, and South Africa, but Wallace likes to travel for a reason different than most: animals. After graduation, Wallace plans to begin a career as a big game vet.
Miranda’s desire to travel didn’t develop on its own. Her mother’s motto, “you learn better if you live it” inspired Miranda to experience her passions firsthand. As a child, Miranda remembers going on long trips across the United States, learning on the way. They would purchase history books and practiced locations of states and their capitals while actually driving through them. One year, her family traveled to Italy to learn about her grandmother’s Italian heritage. It was this exciting trip that encouraged Miranda to travel internationally.
Miranda’s first trip to South Africa had a similar agenda to that of her educational trips around the U.S. with her family. Before leaving, Miranda took a class to learn the history of her destination. Upon her arrival, the team traveled to the historical sites they read about and experienced them firsthand. One of Miranda’s favorite memories was a traditional Zulu dance performed by local students. Miranda stood against the school wall as young children draped in school uniforms and colorful traditional garb grinned and kicked their feet; toes almost touching their heads. Simultaneous stomps and shouts of joy and celebration echoed. As Miranda watched in awe, she began to notice the shoeless, dusty feet of the children, calloused from the trek over the endless hills on their way to school.
“We’re really lucky in the fact that we are guaranteed an education at that age,” Miranda stated humbly.
The incredible creatures surrounding Miranda also made an impact. During her first trip to South Africa, she sighted all of the big five which include; lions, elephants, cape buffalo, leopards, and rhinoceros’. This is the moment Miranda recognized her longing to work with lions.
Miranda travelled by herself to South Africa for the second time to conduct her own research for a month and a half. For the first two weeks, Miranda spent time at a lion sanctuary near Cape Town dedicated to learning about the animals and keeping them safe and healthy. On this reserve there were seven lions, as Miranda counted each on her hand by name. Every day, two times a day, Miranda and her guide would venture out into the reserve to track the lions using radio telemetry and go on “cheetah walks” to put eyes on one of the cheetahs. As we sat in the forum outside of Common Grounds, she compared the distance between her and the cheetah to us at the table and a nearby post. This is one of the closest encounters she would experience on this reserve. However, her guide experienced an uncomfortably closer encounter.
Nicknamed “eagle eyes” for his ability to spot anything from a great distance, Miranda’s guide ventured out to track one of the lions with a telemetry kit in his hands and a handgun strapped to his side. From a distance, safe in the truck, Miranda watched as her guide disappeared into a line of bush. After only a minute, her guide carefully steps out of the bush. The cloud of silence was broken by the thundering roar of a male lion. The guide threw down his telemetry and whipped out his handgun almost simultaneously. He began to wave his arms and shout, “Mbhurri! I do not want to shoot you! Get back! GET BACK.” Luckily, the lion turned away and the guide returned to the truck.
“They’re big and they’re fast. It’s not something you can really understand when you see them in the zoo lying on the ground,” explained Miranda. “They’re very lazy animals, but they’re also very dangerous animals.”
At a wolf reserve in Minnesota, Miranda volunteered to assist in an emergency surgery on a male Wolf who had recently lost an ear during a fight with another male wolf. Her job was to monitor vital signs during the surgery. The wolf was placed on the table where it lay unconscious. Miranda stated to the surgeons that his heart rate was increasing rapidly. As she finished her sentence, she looked up right into the open eyes of the male wolf just inches from her face.
“It wasn’t like, ‘Oh my god, I’m going to die’ or ‘oh my god move’ it was just like, ‘how awesome is this?!’” explained Miranda.
Miranda smiled with excitement while she reminisced in her past adventures. Most of these encounters would terrify the average spectator, but not Miranda. She is more determined to study, preserve, and spend time with these intriguing animals. This excitement also transfers into her passion for protecting these animals and the environments they live in.
Miranda explained that we should try to look at the bigger picture. “I understand people want to hunt, but there’s a better way to do it than just trophy hunting. You can hunt to better the environment. But you shouldn’t do it for a trophy.”
It is clear where this senior Biology major’s aspirations lie. Beaming with excitement while reminiscing dangerous adventures and overflowing concern when speaking of conservation, Miranda has been able to experience her passions firsthand. Best of luck in your future adventures as you pursue a career, Miranda.
Photos courtesy of Miranda Wallace
