Background: Making Connections
In the course of talking about another article idea altogether, Robin Meadows mentioned work she’d heard about from Katherine Ralls on censusing kit foxes with the help of scat-sniffing dogs. This reminded me that Zoo Senior Curator John Seidensticker had once described an effort to use scat-sniffing dogs to identify individual tigers in the Russian Far East. This was starting to sound like a story.
John gave Robin the contact information for tiger biologist Linda Kerley, and Robin, while talking to Kathy Ralls and her student Deborah Smith, shared what she knew about Kerley’s work. Kathy then called John to ask whether the Save the Tiger Fund, whose council he chairs, might be interested in funding a workshop to get Kerley, Smith, and others together to share experiences.
John was enthusiastic about the idea, noting that the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, which manages the Save the Tiger Fund, had pioneered the use of dogs for conservation. Now, Kerley and Smith are working on a proposal to fund an informal seminar in Russia on training methods, research, and related concerns. They are planning to hold the seminar in the spring of 2003. Smith, in an email to Robin, wrote, “It should be a great experience and we are really excited you put us in touch with her!!”
— Susan Lumkin
ZooGoer 31(5) 2002.
Copyright 2002 Friends of the National Zoo.
All rights reserved.
