Veterinary Practices to help save Endangered African Painted Dog

WVI partners Painted Dog Research Trust (PDRT) is setting up a research laboratory in community lands around Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. Painted dogs are endangered and numbers are in decline – both number of packs and number of dogs in a pack. The main threats are snaring, road kills and loss of habitat. As they range out of national parks, these threats increase and include disease as they come in to more frequent contact with domestic dogs.There has been a much work done in the Zimbabwean national parks of Hwange, Mana Pools and the south eastern Lowveld but minimum research on the threats to painted dogs in the areas in-between – the Zambezi Valley. As painted dogs can cover huge distances, these areas are important to the conservation of the species across Africa.   As well as determining current status and threats such as snaring, loss of habitat and being run over, PDRT are looking at parasite loads, genetic variability, stress and den disturbance. To answer such questions researchers will be collecting faecal samples which will be processed for DNA (looking at heterozygosity) and parasites as well as stress and reproductive hormones. To this end, they are in need of the following (second hand will do):

•  Stainless steel tables
•  Stainless steel sink (and unit?)
• Autoclave
• Microscope (to count parasites)
• Scales (to weigh faeces)

  There is a container heading out to Zimbabwe in April that will take anything you can donate, free of charge. If you are able to help or want to find out more about our painted dog project, please contact Olivia on info@wildlifevetsinternational.org or 07508 801 099

Bargain: Hear Top Conservation and Welfare Scientists Talk for a fiver

All funds towards WVI Liverpool University Veterinary Zoological Society have an AMAZING day planned on Saturday 16th April. If you are interested in welfare and conservation, then for £5 you can hear the morning’s speakers, including WVI’s Dr John Lewis – pictured above with a wild Amur leopard in the Russian Far East. 09:00 – Welcome Talk 09:05 – Duncan McNair, Save the Asian Elephant 09:50 – Rachel Havesi, Wild Futures 10:35 – Coffee Break 10:50 – Speaker to be confirmed 11:35 – John Lewis, WVI 12:20 – Lunch 13:10 – PM lecture with Dr. Ranieri Verrin 13:30 – PM and Exotics handling sessions 15:20 – Coffee Break 15:35 – PM and Exotics handling sessions 17:30 – End The afternoon’s workshops are fully booked

Contact Bethany Dixon by FRIDAY 18th March to book your place and for ways to pay your £5. For reminders and updates:

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