Isiah Forward Jr.

Hello, my name is Isiah Forward Jr and I'm originally from Virginia Beach. I've come to Virginia Tech because I want to further my experience and education with animals. I grew up fascinated by animals and all the different species that exist. I read a lot of animal books throughout my childhood and I watched countless YouTube videos of human interacting with and taking care of animals. The final push for me to pursue an education and career with animals was when I came across an animal behaviorist named Kevin Richardson, who owns a lion sanctuary in Africa. Watching him display such knowledge of the behavior and emotions of the lions, hyenas, and other African animals in his care made me declare 'that's what I want for myself'. Before coming to Virginia Tech I took a veterinary assistant program where I learned about the FAS (fear, anxiety, and stress) body language and signals domesticated animals display. I was shocked at all the subtle signs dogs and cats display when they're feeling FAS. I'm currently a non-thesis masters student in the animal and poultry sciences master's program and my advisor is Dr. Leonie Jacobs. I'm about to start working on student the behavior and preferences of chickens. I'll be observing and recording how long they remain on the platforms provided for them and what types of behavior they display while on top of the platform. I'll be recording their signs of comfort/discomfort as well whether they display aggressive behavior towards each other while on the platform. I'm very excited to be here and expanding my knowledge on animal behavior and enrichment.