Two Week Field Course

The Institute for Sustainable International Studies is offering a two week intensive field course focusing on wildlife this summer in Belize.  This 10 day course is designed for undergraduate students with an interest in wildlife from a pre-vet, biology or conservation perspective.  Taught by Dr. Don Gillespie, DVM, and working with the Belize Zoo, students will be exposed to a range of issues related to wildlife health, biology and conservation.  Through a combination of classroom lectures, field trips and practicums, students will be introduced to tropical ecology, local conservation efforts, Belizean wildlife and wildlife research and veterinary techniques. This intensive, introductory course will help students understand the many factors that affect the management, conservation, habitat and health of wild animals.

Students will be based at the Tropical Education Center across the road from the Belize Zoo. There they will have the opportunity to work alongside zookeepers in the world renowned Belize Zoo.  The central focus of the course is on wildlife veterinary,  conservation and research methods. Species specific focus will include the research and conservation of the jaguar (Panthera onca), puma (Puma concolor), tapir (Tapirus bairdii), jabiru stork (Jabiru mycteria), howler monkey (Alouatta pigra), spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi) and the green iguana (Iguana iguana). Students will gain insight on veterinary approaches to wildlife and several field research techniques including specialized leg hold traps, cage traps, GPS and VHF tracking, camera trapping, chemical immobilization and remote drug delivery, avian mist netting, bird banding, and nest searching and monitoring. Students will also get the opportunity to observe and collect data on captive and wild animals.

Students can take this 3 credit course on its own or pair it with a course on Large Animal Veterinary Practices in the Tropics.  Both courses are offered 4 times over the summer:  June 1-12; June 15-16; July 6-17; and July 20-31.  The application deadline is April 1^st.  For more information, go to www.isisbelize.com . or email Cynthia Reece, creece@isisbelize.com .

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