I'm fulfilling my dream of protecting animals worldwide and I have many incredible women to thank

Sophie Pulcella is a woman dedicated to the conservation efforts of all species, including vultures, bats, and toads. Her work at Knowsley Safari fulfils her dream of making a difference every day—and that she is!

The Research and Conservation Coordinator told LiverpoolWorld: “I studied psychology with clinical and health psychology. I knew by that point that it wasn't what I wanted to do, so I left, and I became a preschool teacher.

“From that, I actually got to go and spend a year abroad in Australia being a private nanny. I got to go see David Attenborough do a talk at Sydney Theatre, and that was really the turning point.

Sophie says a number of women have inspired her: “There's a lady called Rosalind Franklin who was a scientist back in the 1950s working at King's College London. She worked in X-ray crystallography, and she really should get more credit for helping discover the double helix structure of DNA. “

“Daphne Sheldrick, she worked in Kenya, and she set up the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.”

“It's a bit cheesy, but it's my mum. She is probably one of the loveliest people I know, and I know we're all biased when we say our mums are lovely, but I'm especially proud of her at the moment because this month she will retire from 45 years working as an NHS physio.”

After graduating with a first-class honours degree in Zoology, Sophie obtained a Master of Science in Wild Animal Biology, working as a cryopreservation biologist and charity coordinator before coming to Knowsley.

Working with local and international conservation partners who help protect species worldwide, Sophie travelled to South Africa last September to learn more about vultures. This data will be used to create public engagement and school education programmes, aiming to widen knowledge of the vital role vultures play in the environment, the health of human populations, and why they should be protected from harm and persecution.

Closer to home, she's been working with Green Sefton and Hightown Beach Clean to help species local to the Sefton Coast, including natterjack toad and sand lizard.

Sophie has also been engaging with local schools on projects to create wildlife gardens on their grounds. These gardens aim to promote the biodiversity of local species and help teachers factor this into their lessons and curriculum.

Sophie told us, “It feels like a really nice full circle moment. It feels really nice sort of helping connect the next generation to nature.”

International Women's Day celebrates women's resilience and powerfully calls for action for a more equitable future. As we mark this day, we reflect on how far we've come and, more importantly, how far we still have to go.