When I received my acceptance to DANTA’s Primate Behaviour and Conservation field course in Costa Rica last summer, I immediately surfed the web extensively on this country, (a nation slightly smaller than Nova Scotia, or for my American readers, West Virginia). Like any eager traveller, I wanted to know everything about this seemingly utopic, biologist’s mecca. Flanked on either side
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Each year DANTA offers a number of training courses in various aspects of tropical biology. Typically, the courses are one month long but shorter courses are also offered through our organization. The courses are intended for undergraduates or early graduate level students who have a keen interest in tropical biology and conservation, but have little or no experience of working
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Spay and neuter your pets! Over the next few weeks, I reach an important milestone in my veterinary school career. Assisted by two of my classmates (and supervised by plenty of doctors in case things go awry), I will be spaying a cat, and thus performing my first surgery on a living, breathing patient. I’m very excited for this opportunity,
Read moreBeing able to communicate with animals is something all animal lovers and trainers aspire toward. Having an expression that signals to the animal that they did something correct and a treat will be provided, is essential if you want that behavior to be presented again. This expression is called a bridge. Bridges in training like actual bridges make an association
Read moreThere will be howling, barking, screaming and squawking and that is just from the children. Halloween is right around the corner. So much commotion is sure to make even the most composed pets a little nervous. Marty Becker, a veterinarian at North Idaho Animal Hospital, said in a Good Morning America interview last year that Halloween is the second most
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I had the pleasure of conducting my research at Piro Biological Station in the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica. I was there to look at foraging ecology in howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata), specifically I was trying to see if they deplete preferred patches of food. At this field site there are four species of primates: Central American Squirrel Monkey (Saimiri oerstedii)
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In July, I swapped my current role as “student” for the role of “educator,” something I hadn’t done since I left my job at an aquarium before starting veterinary school. I’ve always loved teaching because I’ve always loved learning, and the only thing more enjoyable than discovery itself is to be a part of someone else’s learning experience, to witness
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DANTA is delighted to announce that Luis Vargas-Castro will be joining our teaching staff again in the summer of 2016. He, along with Eduardo Valverde, will be teaching Tropical Rain Forest and Wildlife Conservation at Osa Conservation‘s Piro Research Station, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica. Course dates are August 6 -19, 2016. Luis E. Vargas-Castro is a Ph.D. Candidate at the University of
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Often, I find myself wrapped up in those whirlwind days where you don’t even have time to be tired until you actually fall onto your pillow. Because a lot of people I know are curious about how I spend my time here in Ithaca, I thought I’d share it with you. —- 6:45AM- It’s wakeup time! Did I mention this is
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Methods in Primate Behavior and Conservation Dates: Summer Session: July 13 – July 28, 2018 Application deadline: Summer Session: June 15, 2018 Program fee: $2600 Location: Osa Conservation, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica Contact: Visit our website and/or email us at conservation@danta.info for more information Course Description This course is designed to provide students with field experience in primate behavior, ecology,
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