In the summer resort town of Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, you’ll find Amelia Hiorns, 28, looking after the local bears at the Picchio Wildlife Research Center. Having joined the facility through their internship program, she’s now a wildlife research assistant and manager of overseas promotion.
1. How did you end up working for Picchio? I’m from the U.K., and while at university I studied abroad in America. During some fieldwork at Yellowstone National Park, I was put in touch with somebody who used to work at Picchio. I connected with the research center and did an internship. I asked for a job, they said yes, and now I’m here, working at Picchio.
2. What do you do for Picchio now? I usually go by “overseas promotion plus wildlife research.” It’s marketing, promotion, a bit of guiding, supporting interns and working with bears.