May 14-28, 2023
CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT OF LARGE AFRICAN MAMMALS
May 14-28, 2023
Open to All Majors, No Pre-Requisites
This 3 credit hour course is aimed at individuals passionate about wildlife who wish to become a part of conservation in action. Wildlife management has become an accepted and necessary part of wildlife conservation. Successful management includes monitoring and moving animals to reestablish the checks and balances of nature in managed systems. This type of work requires specialized training and experience which the students will receive through this wildlife capture course.
This course emphasizes professional and humane animal handling and covers practical techniques to maximize field success and human/animal safety, including chemical and mechanical game capture techniques, drug delivery systems, modern immobilization drugs, wildlife diseases, common species capture, rehabilitation and release of endangered mammals, occupational health hazards, translocation equipment and holding facilities.
This course in which we will explore the conservation issues of large mammals and compare these issues in North America and South Africa. The course includes 11 days in South Africa. Students will receive 10 days of hands-on work and instruction with Parawild Safari operating in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. Parawild instructors will give lectures and demonstrations and include students in the work of animal captures as extensive as possible, limited by field conditions, the species being handled, and safety issues. As conservation is more than just animal captures, Parawild will take us to Kruger National Wildlife Park and we will have cultural activities to better understand the context in which conservation takes place.
Many of the hands-on activities require a high level of physical fitness. The captures will expose you to rough conditions (examples, dense trees and shrubs with thorns or spines, rocky terrain). You must be prepared to camp out in the lovely South African winter, be up very early, work outside, in the sun, doing physical work most of the day and into the night. And you will have the time of your life!
Please contact the program director or the Study Abroad Office if you have any questions.
Where You’ll Go
May 14-28, 2023
Day 1 and 2: Depart from Missouri for South Africa (overnight flight). Parawild will pick us up from Johannesburg International Airport and take us to our work location in northeast South Africa.
Day 3-12: Workshop with Parawild Edu Capture. The schedule of activities and events are fluid as the field projects involve capturing large wild animals. The objectives of the workshop and planned activities include:
- Introduction to conservation principles, the history of game capture, reasons and risks for translocating wild mammals, basic immobilization procedures.
- Discussion of social and economic issues confronting conservation in Africa.
- Lectures on topics such as capture physiology, pharmacology of capture drugs, and practice with darting equipment.
- Hands-on participation in large mammal capture.
- One night in Kruger National Park.
- Service opportunities in the local communities that may include working with orphans at AIDS Orphange and agricultural visit and parasite treatment of community cattle or other cultural activities provided by Parawild.
Day 13: Travel to Johannesburg International Airport.
What You’ll Study
Course Name: Conservation and Management of African Mammals
Course Number: AFR 300
Credits: 3.0
Term & Dates: May Interim, May 14-28, 2023 Term
Pre-Requisites: Open to All Majors, No Prerequisites
Degree Fulfillments: Satisfies LSP Intercultural Perspectives Requirement & Counts as Biology elective hours
Click Here to See the Tentative Course Syllabus.
Learning Objectives
- Compare and contrast environmental difference between Missouri and South Africa
- Develop a deeper understanding of why large mammals are an important conservation issue
- Develop a deeper understanding of the socio-political constraints in conservation (compare and contrast the United States and South Africa)
- Gain factual knowledge about and hands-on practice in safe and humane handling methods
- Consider why management is part of conservation
Grading Criteria
- 30% Participation: full participation in all discussions and activities is expected.
- 30% Journal: Maintain a journal that includes written summaries of papers read, classes on game capture, and actual capture processes. Will be graded for completeness and the development of scientific thought processes related to conservation and game management as well your personal thoughts and observations.
- 20% Final Written Review: This will be a typed report with prompt to be provided during the spring semester.
- 10% Other graded assignments: These assignments will be homework during the spring semester.
- 10% Deportment: We will be in a different country with different values AND working with wild animals. It is important that we leave a positive impression on the people that we interact with AND conduct ourselves in a way that keeps us all as safe as possible. This includes following the instructions of all instructors.
What You’ll Pay
TOTAL COST ON STUDENT BILL: $7,798.75
Study Abroad Enrollment Fee: $1,086.00
Calculated at $362 per credit x 3 credits
Study Abroad Course Fee: $54.00
Calculated at $18.00 per credit x 3 credits
Study Abroad Insurance Fee: $41.75
Calculated at $41.75 per month
Study Abroad Travel Fee: $6,617.00
Including: International Airfare, Transportation in Country, Admissions and Cultural Experiences, contingency fund, instructor expenses, student food and lodging.
PAYMENT SCHEDULE
| Options |
Due |
Amount |
|---|---|---|
Early Deposit* |
12/5/2022 |
$200.00 |
OR Regular Deposit (Commitment Deadline)* |
1/20/2023 |
$200.00 |
Payment 1 (Confirmation Payment) |
2/20/2023 |
$3,799.38 |
Payment 2 (Final Payment) |
3/20/2023 |
$3,799.38 |
*Early deposit is required for consideration for Foundation Scholarships. Early Deposits received before 12/5/2022 will be refundable until 1/20/2023.
Your Instructor
Dr. Stephanie Foré
Professor of Biology
sfore@truman.edu | Magruder Hall 3026
http://sfore.sites.truman.edu
Dr. Stephanie Foré is passionate about nature and the study of living things. She is eager to share this passion and believes that experiencing nature through research brings book-learning to life. She currently has an active research lab in which she mentors undergraduate research that often leads to presentation at conferences and publication. She has been nominated several times for Truman’s Research Mentor of the year. In her free time, she serves her country as a Wilderness Volunteer maintaining trails in America’s wild lands.
Early Application Deadline: December 5
Students who wish to be considered for Foundation Scholarships will need to complete ALL OF the steps outlined below before December 5. Truman awards approximately $85,000 in Foundation Scholarships for Faculty-Led Study Abroad Programs in individual awards ranging from $1,000-$4,000. Foundation Scholarships will be announced by December 14, and students will have until January 20 to either accept or decline any award. Deposits made before the early deadline of December 5 will be refundable until January 20 regardless of whether an award is received.
Regular Application Deadline: Rolling until January 20
Admissions for this program are rolling, but we encourage students to complete ALL OF the application steps outlined below as soon as possible, and no later than January 20, in order to secure a place in the program. All deposits made after December 5 will be non-refundable unless the program is cancelled.
How to Apply:
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- Apply through TruView. Go to TruView > Tools > Student > Student Tools > Registration > Apply to Study Abroad. Truview Applications for this program will open at the start of Fall semester. The application will ask for responses to several short-answer questions, passport information, two emergency contacts, and your acceptance of an assumption of risk and release form and media waivers.
- Complete Your Registration Agreement. At the time of application, you must complete your registration agreement for the program term through TruView.
- Submit Additional Materials If Required. After submitting your application, you may be contacted by the Instructor or the Study Abroad Office with a supplemental application document to complete and return. In some cases, an in-person interview may also be required.
- Pay the Truman Cashier a $200 deposit. Once you have been accepted into this program, you will need to immediately pay the Truman cashier a $200 deposit in order to secure your spot in the program.
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