As the need for a tiger disease surveillance programme appears to be desperate, John is due to return to Sumatra in September 2013.   After a week in Jakarta, Indonesia, WVI vet John Lewis is currently camping in the Sumatran forests waiting for a tiger. John’s trip started with meetings between all the project partners with a veterinary interest: Wildlife Vets International (John), Zoological Society of London and Taman Safari Indonesia and the Indonesian Veterinary Medical Association lists of equipment and their uses were discussed and equipment that was not covered was sourced. John would like to follow up the training he did in 2012 with a programme to start collecting samples from tigers and tiger prey for a long term disease surveillance programme. So while he was meeting with various Indonesian vets and officials, he discussed the next phase of making this programme a reality.

All the foreign vets had to seek official authority to work in south Sumatra from The Indonesian Veterinary Medicine Association (equivalent to the RCVS in the UK). John took the opportunity to talk to the President of the Association Dr Wiwiek, about a long term disease surveillance programme, these discussion were very positive with plans being outlined for future collaborations Friday was a quiet day catching up on admin and preparing to fly to Sumatra the following day. The excitement felt by the team when looking at camera trap pictures of tigers in the area is summed up by ZSL vet Tai Strike in her blog: “John [Lewis], who has captured so many tigers in so many different conditions over the years, brings us back to earth with a very pragmatic “we’ll be very lucky to get ANY of these tigers, guys…” I do know that… but I can’t help being excited!” Once in Sumatra it was more meetings in Palembang with the head of the BKSDA (provincial wildlife authority) of South Sumatra and more opportunity to get buy-in for the disease surveillance programme. The afternoon was spent meeting the rest of the international and BKSDA team at Palembang Zoo and discussing protocols for catching tigers. It is important when catching tigers that all issues are resolved and the team is in agreement and happy. John spent his last evening in ‘civilisation’ talking to a wildlife vet about various tigers that may have shown or are showing signs that could be consistent with Canine Distemper Virus (CDV). The good news is that so many vets in the country are keen to conduct disease surveillance in Sumatra. If this happens it will be the first attempt at comprehensive disease surveillance throughout a range state. The last night in civilisation was spent in a ‘scrotty’ hotel in Palembang, with a message back to WVI HQ summing it up: “You know the sort of thing – someone else’s hair on the bedding”. A tent on an oil palm plantation will seem like heaven. As the need for a tiger disease surveillance programme appears to be desperate, John is due to return to Sumatra in September 2013. To enable the next phase of this important project, please DONATE here. Picture: John Lewis with a box trap in 2005. Copyright WVI