Subscribe to our RSS feed to receive regular blog updates from Wildlife Trust and get to know our scientific team as they work to save endangered species and protect human and animal health. en-us Copyright 2010, Wildlife Trust http://www.wildlifetrust.org/blog/ This is my first field trip to Bangladesh since joining Wildlife Trust. I spent time with our Wildlife Trust team of wildlife veterinarians and field technicians near Faridpur, a four hour drive (and ferry ride) west of Dhaka. We were going out as part of our routine Nipah virus sampling in Pteropus fruit bats. Mon, 09 Aug 2010 12:00:00 EDT http://www.wildlifetrust.org/blog/57-ba_t_minton http://www.wildlifetrust.org/blog/57-ba_t_minton http://www.wildlifetrust.org/blog/57-ba_t_minton Tomas and I would like to thank Save the Manatee Club for an amazing donation of a trolling motor, GPS and four life jackets, to be used for manatee surveys at newly created Tocc Tocc Reserve in northern Senegal. This is the first reserve created specifically for the West African Manatee. Fri, 16 Jul 2010 12:00:00 EDT http://www.wildlifetrust.org/blog/56-tocc_tocc_reserve http://www.wildlifetrust.org/blog/56-tocc_tocc_reserve http://www.wildlifetrust.org/blog/56-tocc_tocc_reserve I have been busy working in a genetics laboratory in Gainesville, Florida. It has been really exciting to work on the analysis of the samples I've collected in Africa over the past 4 years! Mon, 12 Jul 2010 12:00:00 EDT http://www.wildlifetrust.org/blog/55-csi_gainesville http://www.wildlifetrust.org/blog/55-csi_gainesville http://www.wildlifetrust.org/blog/55-csi_gainesville Today I visited Jiuduansha, a small group of three islands, to access the geography and wild bird population. At first glance the islands resemble a little slice of paradise and an ideal location for a bird sanctuary. Wed, 16 Jun 2010 12:00:00 EDT http://www.wildlifetrust.org/blog/51-almost_paradise http://www.wildlifetrust.org/blog/51-almost_paradise http://www.wildlifetrust.org/blog/51-almost_paradise My colleagues brought me to various markets so I could search out how live birds are kept and sold, one market had a few ducks and chickens for sale but that was all. Mon, 14 Jun 2010 12:00:00 EDT http://www.wildlifetrust.org/blog/50-going_to_market http://www.wildlifetrust.org/blog/50-going_to_market http://www.wildlifetrust.org/blog/50-going_to_market A long flight and a substantial layover in Tokyo have me jet-lagged and so tired as I arrived late in the city of Shanghai. Sat, 12 Jun 2010 12:00:00 EDT http://www.wildlifetrust.org/blog/49-shanghai_surprise http://www.wildlifetrust.org/blog/49-shanghai_surprise http://www.wildlifetrust.org/blog/49-shanghai_surprise This week, a colleague at the Senegal River Development Authority forwarded photos of a manatee mating herd in the Senegal River near the town of Dagana. Photos of manatees in Africa are rare enough, but to capture images of a mating herd is truly lucky! Wed, 07 Apr 2010 12:00:00 EDT http://www.wildlifetrust.org/blog/53-the_dating_game http://www.wildlifetrust.org/blog/53-the_dating_game http://www.wildlifetrust.org/blog/53-the_dating_game The following day we set out to locate an area where we could do our work near the temple ruins so we could efficiently process our samples. Sat, 03 Apr 2010 12:00:00 EDT http://www.wildlifetrust.org/blog/48-back_to_school http://www.wildlifetrust.org/blog/48-back_to_school http://www.wildlifetrust.org/blog/48-back_to_school Today I visited the Zoology Department at Dakar University, where they have specimens of most of Senegal's species, including a partial manatee skeleton on display. Fri, 02 Apr 2010 12:00:00 EDT http://www.wildlifetrust.org/blog/52-skeletons_in_the_closet http://www.wildlifetrust.org/blog/52-skeletons_in_the_closet http://www.wildlifetrust.org/blog/52-skeletons_in_the_closet In Bengali there are two words for bats. Badur is used to refer to the largest of the fruit bats, particularly Pteropus giganteus. Chamchika refers to all other types of smaller bats. Fri, 02 Apr 2010 12:00:00 EDT http://www.wildlifetrust.org/blog/47-stone_temple_pilots http://www.wildlifetrust.org/blog/47-stone_temple_pilots http://www.wildlifetrust.org/blog/47-stone_temple_pilots Driving through small villages on our way to Faridpur we decided to stop for lunch. At a roadside restaurant in Manikganji we enjoyed spicy curries, dhal and basmati rice - all quite delicious. Wed, 31 Mar 2010 12:00:00 EDT http://www.wildlifetrust.org/blog/46-curry_in_a_hurry http://www.wildlifetrust.org/blog/46-curry_in_a_hurry http://www.wildlifetrust.org/blog/46-curry_in_a_hurry Our field gear is packed and we are awaiting departure to the field to catch bats in Faridpur, a region four hours west of Dhaka, and the site of recent human Nipah virus outbreaks and ongoing bat surveillance. Tue, 30 Mar 2010 12:00:00 EDT http://www.wildlifetrust.org/blog/45-batters_up http://www.wildlifetrust.org/blog/45-batters_up http://www.wildlifetrust.org/blog/45-batters_up We arrived at the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B) in the morning to meet up with our collaborators, including several local veterinarians that will join us in the field to catch bats. Mon, 29 Mar 2010 12:00:00 EDT http://www.wildlifetrust.org/blog/44-cant_stand_the_heat http://www.wildlifetrust.org/blog/44-cant_stand_the_heat http://www.wildlifetrust.org/blog/44-cant_stand_the_heat Earlier warnings from my colleagues about the mayhem and chaos of Dhaka airport were largely unheeded as we arrived in the middle of night...under the cover of darkness. Apt, indeed, for two bat biologists. Sun, 28 Mar 2010 12:00:00 EDT http://www.wildlifetrust.org/blog/43-melee_and_mayhem http://www.wildlifetrust.org/blog/43-melee_and_mayhem http://www.wildlifetrust.org/blog/43-melee_and_mayhem I've been wanting to get to the Casamance River, the southern boundary of Senegal and Guinea-Bissau, for about a year. It's been difficult because there have been a few rebel uprisings. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 12:00:00 EDT http://www.wildlifetrust.org/blog/35-senegal_casamance_was_worth_the_wait http://www.wildlifetrust.org/blog/35-senegal_casamance_was_worth_the_wait http://www.wildlifetrust.org/blog/35-senegal_casamance_was_worth_the_wait