Friday, March 24, 2006
Biology major's love of animals is taking her places
 USI senior biology major Eunice Frahm is gathering as much hands-on experience as she can working with animals.She spent last summer working with dolphins at Marineland, the oldest oceanarium in the world. While serving as an intern there, she was able to work one-on-one with dolphins. “I’ve always liked working with animals, and I also love the ocean and warmth,” Frahm said. The internship lasted from May through August 2005. For the first month, Frahm cared for the marine animals: cleaning tanks, testing water, and learning about feeding habits. “Later on we got to go into the water and assist trainers, and in the last week, we got to do training sessions on our own,” she said. Eleven dolphins live at Marineland, including Nelly, the oldest living dolphin in captivity. “When a dolphin is focusing all of its attention on you, it is kind of intimidating,” Frahm said. “I think they are very intelligent. They showed they could think through their playfulness.” A new dolphin habitat was part of recent renovation at Marineland, which celebrated its grand reopening in March. “They’ve recently switched over to education from just shows; the idea is to educate the public instead of just entertaining," she said. "They have interactive programs. You can get in with the dolphins and swim, or paint.” Dolphins paint by holding the brushes in their mouths. In summer 2004, Frahm volunteered at the Virginia Zoo and the Norfolk Botanical Garden. Since 2004, she has served as a docent for Evansville's Mesker Park Zoo and Botanic Garden. In addition to presenting animal demonstrations for nursing homes and children's programs, she has worked with a group of goats since September 2004. She is currently training the goats to participate in a skit, “The Three Billy Goats Gruff,” to be presented in March and April at the zoo. “I started them out when they were babies,” she said. She’s also working with river otters at the zoo. Frahm is a 2002 graduate of Franklin County High School in Brookville, Indiana. The daughter of Earlene and Robert Frahm of New Trenton, Indiana, she also has a twin brother, Eric. She plans to work in a marine facility for a couple of years and then attend graduate school to research dolphins. She would like to study environmental conditions and how they affect populations of dolphins. She will graduate from USI in May 2006 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in biology. |
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