Field Courses

We believe the best place for the biology classroom is in the field! Our Field Courses have been running since 2018, designed exclusively for undergraduate biology (and related science) students who are committed to pursuing a career in wildlife research, conservation and media. Our field curricular focuses on habitat surveying, species ID, camera trapping, field genetics, animal tracking, and how to plan & carry out a remote field expedition. Each of our Field Courses are in partnership with local conservation research organisations, giving real insight into the daily challenges that these projects face in the field!

If you are a current university student wishing to enrol in the Programme please contact adventures@madeinthewild.tv for further information on the course and how to apply.

*We are now taking Applications for Summer 2023 (2022 is fully enrolled)*

Painted Dog Project

Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

With less than 5,000 dogs remaining in the African wild, our partnership with the Painted Dog Research Trust in Zimbabwe aims to support the research of a critical population of this species, in order to provide solutions to combat their rapid disappearance.

Mission

Painted Dogs occupy large territories of 400 square kilometres per pack. The key conservation issue is a fragmented landscape across most of their range, resulting in greater survival risks including lower densities of game to hunt, disruption to denning sites, an increasing frequency of roadkill, and indiscriminate poaching. The Painted Dog Research Trust is at the forefront of monitoring pack movements whilst assessing individual pack health and breeding success of a key population across Northern Zimbabwe and Botswana. Data is collected from a network of camera traps, faecal DNA, hormones, and satellite tracking.

The Researcher

Dr. Greg Rasmussen

Dr. Gregory Rasmussen has been exclusively working with Painted Dogs since 1989, working in the Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe. He is the founder of Painted Dog Conservation and is currently the head of Painted Dog Research Trust (PRDT) in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe (www.painteddogresearch.org). Greg single-handedly put Painted Dogs on the map as a flagship species and his data on the Painted Dog pack relationships in Zimbabwe and the surrounding areas has been invaluable for TV and Research into this unique species. For Greg, conservation must always work for the animals, the scientists and, importantly, the local people.

Leopard & Lion Project

Okonjima Reserve, Namibia

Our partnership with the sister organisations AfriCat Foundation and the Namibian Lion Trust gives us an incredible opportunity to contribute to a longstanding project for understanding the biology of elusive leopards in the wild as well as to the conservation of a declining lion population in a human-wildlife conflict wilderness area.

Mission

The first half of the course is based at Okonjima Nature Reserve, a protected 220km2 wilderness area, the setting for a unique long-term study of leopards (as well as pangolin and brown hyena). VHF radio collars attached to resident leopards provide researchers with real-time movement data of each individual, gaining a further understanding of the species. A key focus of the research is on how habitat changes impact prey availability and in turn leopard populations. The second half of the course is based with the Namibian Lion Trust 250km North-West of Okonjima in the surrounding community areas. Lions in the area are a growing source of conflict with farmers who must protect their livestock from predation. The project's initiatives are to monitor lion populations and provide early warning signs to livestock owners.

The Researcher

Dr. Diethardt Rodenwoldt & Tammy Hoth

Dr Rodenwoldt is AfriCat's resident wildlife veterinarian. As well as being involved with the workings of The AfriCat Foundation from a veterinary perspective, he is leading charge of several of the research projects, helping to guide its work into the most challenging areas of conserving Africa’s large predators. At the Namibian Lion Trust, Tammy Hoth is Director of the Namibian Lion Trust and leads the research on the demography and ecology of the lion within Protected Areas and on farmland.

Anaconda Project

Xingu River Basin, Brazil

A biodiversity survey targeted to forward understanding of species diversity and abundance in developing parts of the Amazonian rainforest. Anacondas are a bioindicator species in this region.

Mission

Led by taxonomist Prof. Emil Hernandez, students join a live data collection project, conducting biodiversity surveys and in some instances tagging and DNA collecting Anaconda specimens, in a developing part of the Brazilian Amazon. Students will collect and analyse data in the field under the guidance of Emil and are guaranteed a live data set for use in their studies. Students will also have the opportunity to work with local tribal communities and attend lectures on conservation in this rapidly developing part of the Amazon Rainforest.

The Researcher

Prof. Emil Hernandez

Prof. Hernandez has famously described several species of amphibians and reptiles in the Para region of the Amazon. On the first field survey for this project, the team revealed a new species of snake previously undescribed by scientists.