WildCru - Wildlife Conservation Research Unit

  • Publications
  • Sponsors
  • Support Us
  • Contact
  • Opportunities
  • Home
  • About WildCRU
    • Research Core
    • Research Plus
    • Training and Education
    • 2020 Vision
    • Education and Outreach
      • eLearning Wildlife Conservation Course
      • The Wildlife Conservation Course
      • Innovative Education Workshop
  • Research
  • Members
  • Courses
    • Diploma
      • Applying for the diploma
      • Curriculum
      • Financial Support
      • Life with the WildCRU
      • Students and Alumni
      • The Diploma Team
  • News & Events
  • The Pond Collection
  • Snow goose. ©Andy Rouse
  • Fox. ©Laurent Geslin
  • Cheetah. ©Andy Rouse
  • Muntjac. ©Andrew Harrington
  • Orangutan. ©Andrew Harrington
WildCRU News

Dr Samuel Merson

Alumni

I joined WildCRU in 2013 to commence my DPhil. I’m originally from Brisbane, Australia, where I previously studied marine mammals, specifically examining variation in the hindgut microbial communities of the Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) over winter in Crystal River, Florida.

My thesis at WildCRU investigated the anthropogenic threats facing Madagascar’s largest carnivore, the fosa (Cryptoprocta ferox). During my DPhil I spent nearly a year living remotely across Madagascar conducting research in several of its most important forested regions, namely Ankarafantsika and Andsibe-Mantadia National Park, Andranomena Special Reserve and Kianjavato. My research specifically examined the socio-economic, geographic and cultural drivers of poaching for bushmeat and retaliatory killing of fosas for livestock depredation. I also investigated the impacts of anthropogenic habitat disturbance and exotic species presence on the spatio-temporal occurrence of fosa through large-scale camera-trapping in forests of varied disturbance.

Since departing WildCRU I have commenced work at the Zoological Society of London in their Conservation Programmes as the project coordinator for Mongolia. My current work focuses upon the illegal wildlife trade in Mongolia, large-scale monitoring of Mongolia’s threatened wildlife, such as the Bactrian camel, and building the capacity of Mongolia’s conservation sector.

    • About WildCRU
    • Campaign
    • Cecil news
    • Cecil Summit
    • Contact
    • Courses
    • David’s thoughts
    • European Mink Project Literature
    • Home
    • Kids corner
    • Members
    • News & Events
    • Opportunities
    • Publications
    • Research
    • Sponsors
    • Support Us
    • The Pond Collection
    • Trans Kalahari Predator Project RSS feed
    • Zimbabwe Botswana Connectivity

Wildlife Conservation Research Unit
Department of Zoology,
University of Oxford,
Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House,
Abingdon Road, Tubney, UK. OX13 5QL

Oxford Univeristy

Copyright © 2023 Wildlife Conservation Research Unit | Site by Franklyn Jones | Login