Hands-On Laboratory Training in Wildlife Disease Investigation

AES has long supported wildlife veterinary work in Asia. In November, Asian Elephant Support was proud to support two weeklong workshops. The Hands-On Laboratory Training in Wildlife Disease Investigation workshop was held in two locations. The first training was held at the National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC), Nepal Wildlife Hospital in Chitwan National Park under the guidance of Dr. Amir Sadaula. Attendance consisted of wildlife veterinarians from Nepal, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. The second training was held at the College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, India, under the guidance of Dr. Arun Zachariah. This session hosted wildlife veterinarians from India, Lao PDR, and Sri Lanka. Laboratory work is an extremely important component of identifying and monitoring diseases, as well as for use in wildlife crime forensics. These trainings offered new opportunities for wildlife veterinarians to share experiences and learn new techniques.

We are grateful to our Nepal partner, Ntnc Bcc, our India partners, Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University and Living In Fine Environment Trust-India, for their assistance in organizing and hosting the trainings, and to the Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Fund of USFWS International Affairs for support. And a very big thank you to AES consultant, Heidi Riddle, for her contributions to these two events!