Image: Dr Chaudhary discussing the fundamentals of anaesthetic pharmacology with course tutor Dr Cobus Raath.

How refreshing to receive a project report that ends with a poem written by the grant recipient!

In the wild’s embrace, love unfurls,

As a vet, with nature, my heart swirls.

Graceful gazes, untamed and free,

In each creature, a symphony.

Whispers of paws, tales untold,

Healing touch, a bond of gold.

Wildlife’s love, a sacred dance,

In the wild, where passions enhance.

The author, Dr Kartik Chaudhary, was one of two talented Indian vets whom we were delighted to be able to sponsor to take part in an advanced course in Wild Animal Restraint and Immobilisation in Rajasthan last November.

The humane capture and restraint of wild animals is a vital element in the conservation and management of free-living populations, and in tackling human-wildlife conflict, but it is complex and nuanced, with the pharmacology in particular often being very species specific. Appropriate restraint reduces trauma, stress and aggression for the animal, as well as the risk of capture myopathy. 

Training local vets in the world’s most biodiverse regions, in order to bolster in-country capacity in wildlife health, is at the core of what we do, so we were delighted to be able to make it possible for both Dr Chaudhary, a wildlife, zoo and primate vet from Himachal Pradesh, and Dr Meera Mokashi, a master’s student of conservation medicine at Edinburgh University, to attend the five day immobilisation course, run by the Wildlife Institute of India, Wildlife Pharmaceuticals (South Africa) and the Estonian University of Life Sciences, with the support of the Rajasthan Forest Department.

The first three days of the course were theory-focussed, and covered a wide range of subjects, from animal behaviour, physiology, and different mass capture techniques to ecology and the pharmacodynamics of different drug types. The species-specific quirks of crocodiles, primates, ruminants and large carnivores were all discussed, along with techniques for monitoring them under anaesthesia, and the importance of being prepared for any emergencies that might arise, including accidental human exposure to any drugs.

The participants moved into the field for the remainder of the course, taking part in capture operations with a captive leopard, sambar and chital deer, nilgai antelope and wild boar. Team members rotated through different responsibilities; monitoring, morphometry, sample collection and emergency response, allowing everyone to experience the different roles.

A key feature of the course was the insight it gave participants into the importance of management practices that risk being considered less critical, such as the recording of parasite loads in a population, the correct long-term storage of biomedical samples for reference, and the evaluation of the health of domestic animals in the surrounding area. Thorough biomedical sampling and health monitoring can provide invaluable information and insight into emerging disease and ultimately the mitigation of human-wildlife conflict.

As a platform, Dr Mokashi told us, the workshop was ‘an opportunity for the Indian wildlife vets to discuss current practices from each of their states and evaluate the scope for improvement’ and that ‘to connect with one another and strengthen the veterinary network greatly contributes to the larger conservation effort in the country’.

This was great to hear – and we were are so pleased to have been able to contribute to building in-country wildlife medicine in this way.

We first met both Dr Mokashi and Dr Chaudhary, on the Interventions in Wild Animal Health course last year, where they stood out as up and coming wildlife vets.

To support more vets underpinning the conservation of biodiversity, please donate today or sign up to our Wildlife Lottery.

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