Overview
Although the role of Veterinary Wildlife Services (VWS) in capturing, translocating, and treating injured wildlife is well recognized, VWS also plays a significant role in conducting research. Research plays an essential function in understanding and improving processes for wildlife conservation. Importantly, the knowledge and skills of experienced veterinary staff facilitates translational studies that may include development of diagnostic techniques for disease detection, improving capture and immobilization through understanding the factors contributing to adverse effects, as well as providing foundational information to assess changes relative to environmental factors and human impact.
In addition, to the direct benefits of applying knowledge to enhance the functions of VWS, the publication of studies in international scientific journals and presentations at conferences result in sharing of data with the global veterinary and conservation communities. This knowledge sharing enhances wildlife conservation as well as increases awareness of issues affecting wildlife.
VWS supports veterinary focused research projects implemented by researchers from academic institutions in South Africa and around the world, and staff conduct in-house research in their areas of proficiency. VWS uses its extensive veterinary expertise, trained support staff and equipment to support research projects. This support may be to collect tissue samples, attach satellite tracking devices or take demographic measurements of an animal. Research projects of veterinary importance may include improving wildlife immobilizing drug combinations, detection of novel parasites, elucidating the epidemiology of an endemic disease, or determining the natural gut flora of a megaherbivore living under natural conditions.
As well as facilitating the implementation of research projects, VWS staff provide support to researchers in the registration of veterinary focused projects with SANParks. In these cases, a member of staff is allocated as a researcher’s contact person and they will assist in taking research applications through the different scientific and ethics approval processes. Implementation of research projects is further facilitate by making available laboratory space and some laboratory equipment for use by researchers. Researchers can also request assistance from experienced veterinary laboratory technologists. Over the past 15 years, VWS has established and maintains a Biobank of biological samples kept in long-term storage under appropriate conditions. The primary aim of the Biobank is to promote knowledge generation by providing samples for use in approved research projects.
Should you wish to conduct research of a veterinary nature in collaboration with VWS, require veterinary support for a project or are interested in samples from our Biobank, please click on the links below.