Luca Ruff Rodriguez

Hi! My name is Luca, I am 19 years old and I’m from Germany. I completed the Orphan Care Internship at Alturas Wildlife Rescue Center for 6 weeks.
I already volunteered in Alturas for 4 weeks in November 2024. Back then I got the chance to do a few night shifts in the nursery, which I absolutely loved. Before I left, I was offered the internship and I decided to come back in April 2025, even though I had no experience in the field except for my volunteering.
The nursery managers, MJ and David, entrusted me with responsibility early on, which was a little overwhelming at first, but because of the great organization of the nursery it was no problem. I was always heard, treated as a part of the team and despite my lack of expertise I felt that my opinion mattered.
During my internship I learned a lot about animal care, especially for the babies, of course. I also learned handling multiple species, their behaviour in the wild, what to look out for when a new patient comes in and how to prevent imprinting.
I did not only fall in love with Alturas because of the work and the animals but also because of the people. It is a place where people from so many different backgrounds come together, that share the same passion. I learned as much about animals as I learned about people and I am sure this experience helped me improve socially, too.
All in all, doing this internship was probably one of the best choices in my life so far and I will never forget my time here.