Lucy Keith
Wildlife Trust Research Scientist, Lucy Keith, has spent the past 23 years working primarily with marine mammals, sea turtles and penguins in both stranding, rehabilitation and field research capacities. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from St. Lawrence University, her Master of Science degree in Marine Biology from the Boston University Marine Program and is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Florida, College of Veterinary Medicine, where her dissertation research focuses on the status and distribution of the West African manatee. She began her career radio tracking Eastern Coyotes to study habitat use in upstate New York. Her interests include animal behavior, ecology and conservation, and her research focuses specifically on habitat use, foraging strategies, and mother-offspring behavior patterns.
Lucy has worked for federal, state and non-profit research organizations both nationally and internationally, and has a wide range of field experience with endangered species, including sea turtles, cetaceans, the Hawaiian monk seal, and Florida, Antillean and West African manatees. Prior to joining Wildlife Trust in January 2005, Lucy spent six years running a manatee research field station in southwest Florida for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. In 2003 she was awarded the Manatee Conservation Award by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and in 2009 she was appointed to the IUCN Sirenian Specialist Group. She has also served on the United Nations Environment Programme Convention of Migratory Species West African Manatee Working Group and the Scientific Committee of Gabon's National Center for Research and Technology.
At Wildlife Trust, Lucy is a principal investigator for ongoing international studies of the status and conservation of the West African manatee in Gabon and Senegal. She recently completed cetacean and manatee surveys in northern Angola. She is also developing a collaborative research effort with African colleagues from 16 countries to increase manatee field research and to analyze genetic samples for West African manatees throughout their range. She has also worked with manatees in Belize, Costa Rica, and Ghana, and is responsible for developing and implementing future research projects.
Follow Lucy Kieth's personal blog from her field work in West Africa! >>click here
