Conservation Challenges in the Wake of a Global Pandemic

This past year, I got the opportunity to interview some incredible conservation organizations regarding their work before, during, and after the Covid-19 pandemic. During such trying times, they continued to support wildlife and communities in range countries despite new challenges. You can read the article in its entirety at JEMA 2022v33i3.

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Featured: Members on the Move for Conservation

As promised, I am starting to update my website. To say that, since 2020, life has thrown it’s very best and worst at us would be a huge understatement. One of my grounding points has always been my work with elephants. Thankfully, they continue to be a guiding light. I was delighted to be interviewed by Gray Matters for their Members on the Move for Conservation” segment. “An interview with EMA Conservation Committee member Tina Dow, PhD. – This year, the Conservation Committee is highlighting EMA members that are making a difference for elephant conservation. For this issue of Gray …

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Prolactin and Ovarian Cycle Problems in Managed African Female Elephants

The last paper in our series investigating prolactin regulation and the efficacy of dopamine agonists and antagonists to mitigate prolactin-associated ovarian cycle problems was published in the Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine in March 2020. It was bittersweet as the research was a culmination of almost 10 years of research and sadly, we lost Dr. Dee Cross during the process. I think it was only fitting that the work was highlighted on the cover by a photo I took of one of my most favorite elephants. A copy of the paper Understanding Prolactin Regulation and Determining the Efficacy of …

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South Africa: I’m Finally Here

At 08:03 local time, the plane touched down in Johannesburg. Although the last flight was a whopping 15-hours total air time, the South African Airlines flight crew did an amazing job making sure we were as comfortable as possible. After a trip through customs to get my passport stamped, and several laps around terminals A and B, I found my shuttle and was off for the 7-hour land trek to Skukuza Rest Camp in Kruger National Park. The only hiccup being I was the only one without cellphone service. Having prepared a week in advance, I had added the AT&T …

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Reemergence of New World Screwworm in Endangered Florida Key Deer

It feels like forever and a day since I’ve posted. Nevertheless, I wanted to share this article that I wrote for the International Animal Health Journal (IAHJ) in Spring of 2017 (Dow, T.L., 2017. Reemergence of New World Screwworm in Endangered Florida Key Deer. IAHJ. 4(1):38-41). You can read the paper at the journal home page at New World Screwworm Reemergence  or below. Note: a follow-up article is planned for the Spring 2018.  

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Wildlife of the Bunya Mountains

Nestled in the most westerly region of southern Queensland is the Bunya Mountains. Home to 600 year-old pines and close to 400 documented species of marsupials, amphibians and reptiles, including birds, Bunya is an incredible place treasured by generations of Australians.   A few years ago, we were fortunate enough to visit the Bunya Mountains National Park. Traveling from Toowoomba up the A2 to the Bunya Mountains Road, the trip through the Great Dividing Range was simply beautiful. We were only just within the park boundaries when we met our first local, a gorgeous carpet python. Stretched across the bitumen …

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The Manatees Return

  As winter descends on the Northern hemisphere, the costal waters surrounding Florida begin to cool. Warm waters that see temperatures in the low 80s for most of the year drop to the mid 60s and below. For the West Indian manatee, or manatee for short, sustained water temperatures of 65° F and below can be incompatible with life. Luckily for these underwater mega-herbivores Florida is home to several freshwater springs that maintain a constant temperature of 70-72°F year-round. Estuaries and rivers leading from the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean give easy passage to these winter havens.     …

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A Year in Review: Let 2017 be the Year of Action

As 2016 draws to a close, it’s important to reflect upon the last 365 days. Just like the preceding years, 2016 had triumphs and failures in wildlife and habitat protection. Although we still have a lot of battles before us in the field of conservation, I feel that 2016 was the year of awareness. Global issues were brought to the forefront to be openly discussed. I have to hope that is a great start for things to come in 2017. With each passing year, I am often asked how one person can make a difference. I completely understand how easy …

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Rhesus Macaques of Central Florida

In 1932, film director, W.S. Van Dyke, and crew descended upon the Silver River in Central Florida to film a Hollywood blockbuster. Tarzan the Ape Man would do just that, making more than $2.5 million worldwide. In comparison to today’s film industry, that would be a hit! Capitalizing on the film’s success, local tour boat operator, Colonel Tooey, devised a plan to purchase several exotic species including Rhesus macaques to keep near the banks of the river. He would offer a five-mile “Jungle Cruise” from the river’s mouth up to the headwaters of Silver Springs. His idea was to place …

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Sea Turtle Nesting: A Race Against Time

  Florida’s Atlantic Coast is currently a hotbed of activity for Sea turtle propagation. From early May to September, several species of Sea turtle seek out the coastline as a prime nesting location. During each season thousands of Loggerhead, Green Sea, and Leatherback turtles make their way to land by the light of the moon to lay their eggs in the warm sand. With any luck, in 50-60 days, the next generation will be on their journey into the deep blue.   Ancient sea turtles first appeared in the coastal waters of Pangea over 240 million years ago during the …

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