TINA CHIARELLI, Ph.D., FRGS

7 Billion and Counting

November 5th, 2011tinalc0 Comments

Last month the world population reached 7 billion. In only 12 short years, since ~October 1999, the human population has increased by 1 billion. Let us take a few moments to think about the fact that we now share this planet with 6,999,999,999 other people… and counting. If our global growth rate continues, it is anticipated that by 2050, you could be one of 10 billion! So what exactly does this increase mean for the other species that share our space? Furthermore, what do 7 billion humans mean for the environment? Regardless, if we live in a developing or industrialized …

Exotic Animal Ownership

October 30th, 2011tinalc0 Comments

Since the exotic animal incident in Zanesville, Ohio a few weeks ago, I have received a lot of questions regarding the laws governing exotic animal ownership in the United States. Ownership of exotic or non-native species in the US is a much debated subject. In actuality, regulation is done on a state, not national, basis; which allows for a lot of inconsistencies and what appears to be very little regulation. On one side of the argument are those individuals who own exotic species and want to continue to do so. On the other side are people who want to regulate …

Snakes, Spiders, and Bats…Oh My!

October 23rd, 2011tinalc0 Comments

In preparation for my favorite holiday, I was recently perusing through the Halloween decorations at a local megastore. For me, Halloween standards are carved pumpkins, bed sheet ghosts, and candy; lots of candy. However, for others, the scariest of holidays is all about fear. Some of the most iconic Halloween characters that makes ones blood run cold and stand frozen in fear, i.e., bats, spiders, and snakes, are the same creatures I find most fascinating. Unfortunately, it is this very fear that has served as a death sentence for those same misunderstood species that actually do a great deal to …

Answer the Call for Gorilla Conservation

October 3rd, 2011tinalc0 Comments

Columbite-tantalite, more commonly known as colton, is a valuable mineral that is used to manufacture capacitors found in electronic devices such as cell phones, video game systems, MP3 players, computers, and DVD player. Colton is mined in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Democratic Republic of Congo, China, Ethiopia, and Mozambique. Unfortunately, most of the world’s coltan reserves are found in the same region as gorillas and the mining is destroying their last remaining habitat. In addition, mining open access roads into gorilla habitat making it easier for poachers to find not only gorilla, but other endangered wildlife and resources. By recycling …

An Evening with Jane Goodall: A Story of Inspiration and Hope

October 2nd, 2011tinalc0 Comments

As a child I can vividly remember thumbing through old National Geographic magazines, living vicariously through the adventures of Dr. Jane Goodall. In the 1980s, long before online giants Amazon or Barnes and Noble became popular, I would visit both my school library and the local city-owned branch on an almost daily basis. I was able to read about Jane’s explorations of the forests of Gombe and the chimpanzee ambassadors who greeted here as a friend. Oh to live life amongst the chimps must have been paradise. I soon understood that chimpanzees were very much like humans, one may say …

Student Creates Wildlife Conservation Project

September 28th, 2011tinalc0 Comments

For as long as Tina Dow can remember, she’s had a passion for wildlife. Dow, a West Virginia University student, is pursuing her passion through an organization she and her husband formed – Wildlife Research and Conservation. “I don’t ever remember a time not being interested in wildlife,” Dow said. “As a kid I always felt more at home outside with the creepy crawlies than I did inside.” During her doctoral studies at WVU, Dow’s focus has been on elephant captivation and the effects it has on the species’ fertility. Though Dow is unsure where she’ll end up after graduation, …

Wild, Wonderful World of Fungus

September 26th, 2011tinalc0 Comments

It never ceases to amaze me just what one can find in the natural world when they look beyond what it is they intended to find; to widen the gaze and focus on a much bigger picture. A recent trip to locate Timber rattlesnakes for our population and reproductive assessment survey reminded me of that very thing. It was what I had no intention of finding that had left me awe inspired. Although no reptiles were found, I did get a greater appreciation for those things that we tend to dismiss as inanimate, but quite the contrary, are growing at …

The Ocean: Where Life Begins and Ends

September 25th, 2011tinalc0 Comments

The ocean, for most, represents a great blue void. It is sometimes hard to imagine that an incredible world, much larger than the space terrestrial beings inhabit, lies beyond the shoreline and below the surface. The Censes of Marine Life, completed in 2010 by 2,700 scientists from 80 countries, identified more than 1 million species that call the ocean home. In addition, researchers feel that despite their great accomplishment, 50-80% of the species inhabiting the sea surrounding South Africa, Antarctica, Japan, the Mediterranean, and Australia are yet to be discovered. The ocean covers 71% of Earth’s surface and holds 97% …

Ph.D. Student Conducting Research on African Elephants

September 19th, 2011tinalc0 Comments

By: Brooke Boening The Daily Athenaeum Shortly upon completing her undergraduate studies in animal and nutritional sciences, West Virginia University Ph.D. student, Tina Dow, discovered a passion that would take her beyond the ordinary work environment – elephants. When Dow landed an internship at Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence, R.I., in 2002, she quickly developed a fascination with the park’s African elephants. “I had an appreciation of standing beside something that is living and breathing and weighs over 10,000 pounds,” Dow said. “Then to see how intelligent and caring they are – I fell in love.” Today, Dow is …

Ecotourism: Conservation Friend or Foe?

September 18th, 2011tinalc0 Comments

At the turn of the century, in the early 1900s, to go on safari meant one would travel to the far corners of the world, armed with the guidance of an indigenous tracker and large caliber rifle. It is no secret that the rich and royal killed hundreds of animals during a single trip to Africa, India, or Indonesia, and relished in doing so. Even Theodore Roosevelt, President of the United States and founder of America’s most beautiful natural parks was an avid safari hunter; elephant tusks and a leopard rug adorned the oval office when Teddy was Commander in …