Wild Ambition: Student Project Helps the Birds at Fort Wayne Children's Zoo

How Indiana Tech senior Karlee Barnhill used bioacoustics to study bird welfare while moving closer to her dream of becoming a veterinarian.

This article is condensed from the original written for Indiana Tech.

From the time she was in first grade, Karlee Barnhill knew she wanted to become a veterinarian. The Indiana Tech senior from Jonesville, Michigan, built that goal through years of hands-on experience with animals—working with her family's horses, participating in 4-H, showing livestock and joining Future Farmers of America. In the Fort Wayne area, she also gained practical experience at a veterinary hospital and an equine clinic. Her commitment runs deep: she even spent her 21st birthday helping provide intensive care to a Belgian foal born in distress, an effort that helped save its life.

That lifelong dedication brought Barnhill to Indiana Tech, where she pursued a Bachelor of Science in Biology and prepared for veterinary school. It also positioned her to take on a senior project with real-world impact at the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo.

For Barnhill, animal care has never been a passing interest. “From a time before I could even walk, when I used to help my mom shoe horses, I've been immersed in caring for animals and understanding the special bond we share with them,” Barnhill said. “Through my experiences, I've come to understand the profound impact that they have on our lives and the responsibility we hold to ensure their well-being. This is what drives my passion for animal welfare and advocacy, and why I have never wavered on becoming a veterinarian.”

Listening for signs of well-being

Barnhill's senior project focused on bioacoustics, the study of how animals produce, transmit and receive sound. At the zoo, she analyzed recordings of two pair-bonded scarlet-faced liocichlas—Jeruk and Kirmizi—that live in the 8,000-square-foot Asian Trek domed habitat alongside 53 other birds representing 17 species. The scarlet-faced liocichla, native to Thailand and Myanmar, was a strong fit for the study because of its distinctive calls.

Using specialized recording equipment inside the habitat, Barnhill reviewed sound data to see how the birds' vocalizations changed in response to different stimuli, including food availability, interactions with other species, outside noise, zoo visitors and mating season. She presented her findings and recommendations to zoo leadership in April.

Her findings pointed to meaningful emotional differences in the birds' calls. “I identified distinct patterns that indicated different emotional states, particularly distinguishing between what appeared to be anger and happiness in the birds. When the scarlet-faced liocichlas exhibited what I interpreted as angry calls, there was often increased agitation and aggression within the dome. On the other hand, when they emitted calls that associate with happiness, I observed more relaxed behaviors and positive social interactions within the dome,” Barnhill said.

Based on that work, she concluded that enriched soundscapes encouraging positive emotional states could improve the welfare of these birds and potentially others in the habitat. She also recommended continued data collection throughout the zoo season to better understand how visitors affect the liocichlas.

A step closer to veterinary school

The project also sharpened Barnhill's understanding of animal welfare. She grew up recognizing signs of discomfort in horses and other hoofstock, but learning to read those signals in birds required a new level of observation and analysis.

“This project has reminded me that just because you think everything is going fine for an animal, you can be very wrong. You cannot rely on appearances and assumptions alone,” Barnhill said. “Animals cannot speak to us, so we need to make use of the tools that are available to us to dig deeper and make sure they are happy and that their needs are being met.”

Barnhill completed the project during an 18-credit final semester while navigating the demanding veterinary school application process. As a first-generation college student from a family with six siblings, she has largely had to chart that path on her own. On March 25, she learned she had been accepted to Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine in St. Kitts and Nevis, and she was still awaiting two other decisions before choosing where to pursue her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine.

That momentum is especially meaningful because of what it represents. “It's important for everyone to know that even if you don't come from a certain background, you can still become what you want to be if you put your mind to it and work for it,” Barnhill said. “Most of my life, I've thought, ‘I can't be a doctor. No one in my family is a doctor.' And now I'm more than halfway there and getting a step closer every day. It's amazing.”

Barnhill's project shows how undergraduate research can improve animal care while helping a determined student move closer to a childhood dream.