As a child I wanted to be a palaeontologist (amongst other professions!). I always loved animals. At university I chose to study a BSc (Hons) degree in Archaeology and very much enjoyed the faunal studies module I took in my third year. After I graduated I was lucky to gain experience working with live animals in a zoo setting, and was invited to assist in a research project involving animal bones in a museum. Over time I added to my experience with animals and animal bones, working with live animals, as an archaeologist, and as a museum assistant. In recent years I achieved my MSc in Bioarchaeology (after a 5 year break from university), choosing to work with medieval animal bones for my thesis, I have been asked to identify animal bones from a number of archaeological sites, I have worked with museum collections, and I am working towards my PhD, which is concerned with how the archaeological mammal communities of Gibraltar changed over time.