Training for Dawda Following upon the success of Aristide Kamla’s training in Florida in November, Dawda Saine of the Gambia arrived in early February for three weeks of advanced manatee training. Dawda worked for two years to raise the funds for his trip and to get the appropriate visa to come to the USA. My project grants helped sponsor his training, and he also received […]

Fingers crossed Several West African countries have submitted a proposal to CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) to raise the West African manatee to Appendix I, which will hopefully provide more protection for the species, and would stop the trade in live manatees captured for aquaria in Asia. I’ve spent the last 2 weeks working with the great staff at Species Survival Network

Southwest FloridaThis past week I spent some time in Southwest Florida and gave a lecture on West African manatee research to the staff at the South Florida Museum in Bradenton. While there I also got a chance to visit with Snooty, the world’s oldest known manatee (he’s 64 years old!), who I last saw 9 years ago. He’s much bigger than his West African cousins.

Naked Oceans PodcastLast week I was interviewed by Helen Scales for a series called “Naked Oceans” which is part of a larger program called “The Naked Scientist”, a BBC weekly radio program that uses radio, live lectures, and the Internet to strip science down to its bare essentials, and promote it to the general public (I got that description from their webpage, which sums them

West African Manatee Network Activities Over the past few months I’ve received several updates from my former trainees, who are now actively starting manatee research and conservation efforts in their home countries, despite many challenges. Here are some highlights of their efforts: Mali: In central Mali, manatee researcher Soumaïla Berthe is starting surveys to learn about manatees in the Bani River, a 775 km long

Persistence pays off!! Happy news! After 13 months of working with colleagues in Mali to get an export permit for manatee samples I collected there in November 2010 (which have since been added to by my colleagues) we finally got it! It’s amazing how long it can take to push simple paperwork through government bureaucracy, and I have learned that patience is definitely required. The

Kamla’s Florida Training AdventureAs I mentioned in my last post, Aristide Kamla from Cameroon came to Florida for 3 weeks of training this past November. Thanks to tremendous help and enthusiasm from my Florida manatee colleagues at the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Marine Mammal Pathobiology Lab (FWC/MMPL), the USGS Sirenia Project, Sea to Shore Alliance, Lowry Park Zoo, and Homosassa Springs State Park,

Fall 2011 Recap Happy New Year! Finally I have time to catch up with myself after a whirlwind Fall. I’m happy to report I survived my toughest semester of my PhD program, which will now make studying for and taking my qualifying exams this spring seem a like piece of cake 🙂 I learned alot in my Phylogenetics and Biochemistry clases that will help my

Coming out of the Black Hole Sorry for the disappearing act! At the end of July I returned to the USA, and in the end of August I started more classes towards my PhD at the University of Florida. This is my toughest semester yet- I’m taking Phylogenetics, Bio Chemisty, and a Physiology seminar plus continuing my job fulltime. It’s challenging to say the least,