Senior Wildlife BiologistTelephone Number Email Address |
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Research interests/Areas of expertise
- Development of methods and approaches to resolving human-wildlife conflicts
- Improving efficacy and lessening the environmental impact of current methods of wildlife management
- Role of wildlife in the spread of certain diseases
Biography
- BSc (Hons) Agricultural Science at University of Nottingham (physiology and environmental physics). PhD at University of Bristol examining social suppression of fox reproductive failure.
- Post-doctoral studies includes IFAW (behaviour of sperm whales in the western North Atlantic), SMRU (grey seal photo i.d. along parts of eastern N. Sea coast), MAFF (urban fox control strategies for rabies contingency planning, Bristol), WildCRU (effects of whale-watching vessels on behaviour of sperm whales, NZ), Bristol University (reconnaissance trip to identify sites of Livingstone's Giant Flying Fox in the Comoro Islands).
- Joined SASA undertaking R&D programme on rabbit control (development of bait markers, rabbit-specific baits, National Rabbit Survey, grazing behaviour, feed aversion systems, use of stable isotopes to determine impact of intestinal parasites).
- Advisory role to Scottish Government and other stakeholders covering a wide range of conflict issues between man and wildlife (birds and mammals).
- Led on a number of small policy-related research projects including: rabbit control (see above), herbivore grazing damage on newly reseeded pasture on Islay; golden eagle predation of lambs; badger predation of lambs; distribution of captive and feral wild boar in Scotland; annual survey of farmers with respect to all vertebrate pests; survey of molecatchers; development of techniques to deter piscivorous birds from a localised area.
- Advice to Government on control of wildlife for purposes of rabies contingency planning.
Representational Duties
- Chair of Urban Gull Task Force
- Member of Goose Science Advisory Group
SASA
