Amanda Burke · Wildlife Rehabilitator & INTERN Program Manager

Amanda grew up in coastal North Carolina & Tennessee, exploring the forests and beach with her older brothers. She was an animal lover from the start, and her family always had a menagerie of pets growing up. From these moments, a lifetime love of all creatures, whether big, small, slimy, winged, scaly or furry, was born. To this day, you can still find Amanda rescuing any bug from being squished, even Miami’s favorite– the palmetto bug.

While studying at Old Dominion University for a degree in Biology, Amanda moved temporarily for an internship at ZooTampa, working with the elephants and rhinos. She was then accepted to a manatee training internship at Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota. This internship worked with two manatees, Hugh and Buffett. Their research-based training, in conjunction with FWC, helped scientists learn more about the sensory and cognitive thresholds of the West Indian & Florida manatees, in an effort to use the research to aid in conservation efforts. She returned to Virginia & began working as an Outreach Educator at Virginia Aquarium, a job that combined her love of education with wildlife. 

From there, Amanda made her way down to Miami Seaquarium to work in manatee & sea turtle rehabilitation and work with a variety of parrot species. Here, she met an incredible Umbrella cockatoo named Gracie that would change her life and began her love of birds. They had an immediate bond, and loved each other so much that she was eventually able to adopt him and bring him home. Amanda credits Gracie with altering her path in life forever in countless ways.

Amanda discovered Pelican Harbor during her time at Seaquarium, as she started finding injured gulls & pelicans around the property and brought them to PHSS for care. In 2021, a position opened at PHSS and she took the leap by applying. Since coming on board, Amanda has found her true life’s passion doing bird rehabilitation. In addition to her role as a wildlife rehabilitator, she also manages the organization’s internship program. This role combines her love of education with rehabilitation, and she loves helping students learn and use their experience as a stepping stone in their career goals. She is very excited to grow with Pelican Harbor Seabird Station in the future and continue to help all of South Florida’s wildlife.