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,
Congo: Lac Tchimpa and the Lukani River After paddling down the Ngonogo we traveled to Lac Tchimpa, another tranquil lake with no permanent residents. However, this lake is closer to villages so we did see lots of signs of fishing activity (particularly large hooks set for freshwater turtles). Again the habitat was great for manatees, but none were seen. I did find a small river
Congo: Kayaking the Ngongo Last week my friend Tim (a whale researcher who lives at Conkouati) and I took off on a 3 day trip in search of manatees to lakes and up the Ngongo River north of Conkoauti Lagoon. People on the lagoon told me manatees occur in these more remote areas, so I was eager to go look. Our Congolese boat driver, Christian,
Congo: Conkouati Lagoon I’ve been at Conkouati National Park for 2 weeks now and have boated around most of the southern end of the large lagoon. One of the first days we went out to where the lagoon drains into the Atlantic Ocean. The lagoon is formed from many rivers that meander down from mountains west of here and drain into lakes and then rivers