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Earlier this semester, Millersville students in biology professor Dr. Dominque Didier’s Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy class ventured out of the classroom to get hands-on experience handling large farm animals. With the help of a professional shearer, Didier gave an interactive lecture on how to handle and shear adult Merino sheep and skirt the fleeces for distribution to hand spinners.
Students assisted in herding and positioning the sheep, gathering their wool, picking through the wool to ensure quality, weighing and measuring the coats and administering oral medication to maintain the health and productivity of the flock.
Many of the students participating in the lesson are on track to become veterinarians or veterinary technicians and were interested in learning how to properly and safely support the health of larger animals.
Rylie Shanebrook, a biology major specializing in animal behavior, shares that she had a comprehensive learning experience with Didier and discovered that she is interested in specializing in larger animals in her veterinary career.
“My advice to other students would be to never let a ‘no’ stop you from gaining experience. Rejection is often the beginning of a new direction to explore. Opportunity can come in many different forms, and sometimes the best experience comes from the places you least expect,” says Shanebrook.
Learn more about Millersville’s biology department here or watch this video documenting the experience.
