Our collaboration with
WCS and Panthera Foundation involves
providing technical assistance, individual
genotyping, collaborative research on genetic
threats, collaborative research in molecular
ecology, technical
training, sample and data
archiving, and a web based central source for
related information relevant to global felid
conservation. Our Comparative Genomics
Laboratory uses the latest techniques in
conservation biology to conduct critically
important research and design conservation
management plans. In most instances this program
will attempt to fill in important missing gaps
in areas for which data are necessary to make
applied conservation management decisions. Also,
the program will support molecular marker
development for use by the community and provide
technical assistance by training students and
scientists from other programs at our
“state of the art” laboratory
facilities.
The Global Felids Genetic Program provides important assistant and information to various in-country programs such as, jaguar programs in Belize, Brazil, and Guatemala, tiger and leopard in Asia and Africa.
Salisa Rabinowitz, Program Coordinator
Cristina Pomilla, Post-doctoral Research Scientist
Collaborators
Alan Rabinowitz, Executive Director, Science and Exploration Program, WCS
Luke Hunter, Assistand Director, Great Cats Program, WCS
Andrea Heydlauff, Coordinator, Tiger Program, WCS
Collaborator Biosketches
Alan Rabinowitz graduated from the University of Tennessee in 1981 with an M.S. in zoology and a Ph.D. in wildlife ecology. He is currently the Executive Director of the Science and Exploration Program at the Wildlife Conservation Society based at the Bronx Zoo in New York. Rabinowitz has traveled extensively, concentrating his research efforts in places such as Belize, Borneo, Taiwan, Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar (Burma). He has studied jaguars, clouded leopards, Asiatic leopards, tigers, Sumatran rhinos and other large mammal species. In 1985, his work in Belize resulted in the world's first jaguar sanctuary at Cockscomb Basin and helped start the now prosperous ecotourism industry in the country. Subsequent surveys of
the clouded leopard in Taiwan
resulted in the establishment of Tawu Mountain
Nature Reserve, the country's largest protected
area and last piece of intact lowland forest.
His work in Thailand between 1987 and 1993
resulted in the first field research on
IndoChinese tigers, Asiatic leopards, and
leopard cats, in what was to become the region's
first World Heritage Site. During the 1990s,
Rabinowitz's work in Myanmar led to the creation
of a number of new protected areas: the
country's first marine national park, the
country's first and largest Himalayan national
park, the country's largest wildlife sanctuary,
and the world's largest tiger reserve. He also
masterminded the creation of the Northern Forest
Complex in Myanmar, a set of four contiguous
protected areas, more than 30,000 km2, that
comprise one of the wildest, most pristine sets
of habitats left in the world. Rabinowitz has
published over 75 scientific and popular
articles and six books. His first two books,
Jaguar and Chasing the Dragon's Tail, are
popular accounts of his adventures in Belize and
Thailand. His most recent popular book, Beyond
the Last Village, takes the reader on an
intensely personal journey through his
adventures, explorations, and discoveries in
Myanmar. He has also published the Wildlife
Field Research and Conservation Training Manual
that has been translated into seven languages.
Luke Hunter is the Global Carnivore Program Assistant Director for the WCS and an Associate Conservation Scientist in the WCS Science and Exploration Program. Born in Australia, Hunter has conducted fieldwork on large cats in Southern Africa since 1992, focusing on efforts to restore species to areas of their former range. His doctorate examined the behavior and ecology of reintroduced cheetahs and lions, a study he expanded into post-doctoral studies at the University of Natal as part of a large-scale project to unite multiple efforts at reintroduction of large cats in South Africa. In 2002, he instigated ongoing research into the effect of trophy hunting and
illegal persecution on the
population dynamics of leopards in
KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, resulting in the
establishment of a leopard conservancy in the
province's Maputaland region. His current
projects include an analysis of the conservation
needs of large carnivores across continental
Africa, and running WCS's Lion Conservation
Program, the first strategic initiative to
conserve the African lion throughout its range.
Hunter has contributed to 50 scientific papers
and popular articles, and has written five
books. He is the Carnivore Section Chair of the
IUCN
Reintroduction Specialist Group and is a
member of the IUCN Cat and Hyaena Specialist
Groups.
Andrea Heydlauff is the Tiger Program Coordinator for the WCS Great Cats Program, within the Science and Exploration Program. In this position, Andrea is
coordinating WCS tiger-related
activities for the newly initiated Tigers
Forever program. Tigers Forever, a Panthera
project in collaboration with WCS, is committed
to increasing the number of tigers in the wild
by at least 50% across key sites over the next
10 years. In her previous role as WCS Asia
Program Officer, she worked for two years on the
Tiger Conservation Landscape project: Setting
Priorities for the Conservation and Recovery of
Wild Tigers: 2005-2015. Born in England,
Andrea earned her B.A. in British Literature and
M.S in Wildlife Biology from the University of
Arizona (2003). Her Master's thesis "Perceptions
Regarding Elk in Northern Arizona" took her to
the White Mountains in northeastern Arizona,
where she worked with ranchers and resources
agency personnel to better understand and
mitigate conflicts among humans, cattle and elk.
Upon completion of her degree, Andrea joined to
WCS in 2003, and has been there ever since.
training, sample and data
archiving, and a web based central source for
related information relevant to global felid
conservation. Our Comparative Genomics
Laboratory uses the latest techniques in
conservation biology to conduct critically
important research and design conservation
management plans. In most instances this program
will attempt to fill in important missing gaps
in areas for which data are necessary to make
applied conservation management decisions. Also,
the program will support molecular marker
development for use by the community and provide
technical assistance by training students and
scientists from other programs at our
“state of the art” laboratory
facilities.
The Global Felids Genetic Program provides important assistant and information to various in-country programs such as, jaguar programs in Belize, Brazil, and Guatemala, tiger and leopard in Asia and Africa.
Salisa Rabinowitz, Program Coordinator
Cristina Pomilla, Post-doctoral Research Scientist
Collaborators
Alan Rabinowitz, Executive Director, Science and Exploration Program, WCS
Luke Hunter, Assistand Director, Great Cats Program, WCS
Andrea Heydlauff, Coordinator, Tiger Program, WCS
Collaborator Biosketches
Alan Rabinowitz graduated from the University of Tennessee in 1981 with an M.S. in zoology and a Ph.D. in wildlife ecology. He is currently the Executive Director of the Science and Exploration Program at the Wildlife Conservation Society based at the Bronx Zoo in New York. Rabinowitz has traveled extensively, concentrating his research efforts in places such as Belize, Borneo, Taiwan, Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar (Burma). He has studied jaguars, clouded leopards, Asiatic leopards, tigers, Sumatran rhinos and other large mammal species. In 1985, his work in Belize resulted in the world's first jaguar sanctuary at Cockscomb Basin and helped start the now prosperous ecotourism industry in the country. Subsequent surveys of
the clouded leopard in Taiwan
resulted in the establishment of Tawu Mountain
Nature Reserve, the country's largest protected
area and last piece of intact lowland forest.
His work in Thailand between 1987 and 1993
resulted in the first field research on
IndoChinese tigers, Asiatic leopards, and
leopard cats, in what was to become the region's
first World Heritage Site. During the 1990s,
Rabinowitz's work in Myanmar led to the creation
of a number of new protected areas: the
country's first marine national park, the
country's first and largest Himalayan national
park, the country's largest wildlife sanctuary,
and the world's largest tiger reserve. He also
masterminded the creation of the Northern Forest
Complex in Myanmar, a set of four contiguous
protected areas, more than 30,000 km2, that
comprise one of the wildest, most pristine sets
of habitats left in the world. Rabinowitz has
published over 75 scientific and popular
articles and six books. His first two books,
Jaguar and Chasing the Dragon's Tail, are
popular accounts of his adventures in Belize and
Thailand. His most recent popular book, Beyond
the Last Village, takes the reader on an
intensely personal journey through his
adventures, explorations, and discoveries in
Myanmar. He has also published the Wildlife
Field Research and Conservation Training Manual
that has been translated into seven languages.
Luke Hunter is the Global Carnivore Program Assistant Director for the WCS and an Associate Conservation Scientist in the WCS Science and Exploration Program. Born in Australia, Hunter has conducted fieldwork on large cats in Southern Africa since 1992, focusing on efforts to restore species to areas of their former range. His doctorate examined the behavior and ecology of reintroduced cheetahs and lions, a study he expanded into post-doctoral studies at the University of Natal as part of a large-scale project to unite multiple efforts at reintroduction of large cats in South Africa. In 2002, he instigated ongoing research into the effect of trophy hunting and
illegal persecution on the
population dynamics of leopards in
KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, resulting in the
establishment of a leopard conservancy in the
province's Maputaland region. His current
projects include an analysis of the conservation
needs of large carnivores across continental
Africa, and running WCS's Lion Conservation
Program, the first strategic initiative to
conserve the African lion throughout its range.
Hunter has contributed to 50 scientific papers
and popular articles, and has written five
books. He is the Carnivore Section Chair of the
IUCN
Reintroduction Specialist Group and is a
member of the IUCN Cat and Hyaena Specialist
Groups.
Andrea Heydlauff is the Tiger Program Coordinator for the WCS Great Cats Program, within the Science and Exploration Program. In this position, Andrea is
coordinating WCS tiger-related
activities for the newly initiated Tigers
Forever program. Tigers Forever, a Panthera
project in collaboration with WCS, is committed
to increasing the number of tigers in the wild
by at least 50% across key sites over the next
10 years. In her previous role as WCS Asia
Program Officer, she worked for two years on the
Tiger Conservation Landscape project: Setting
Priorities for the Conservation and Recovery of
Wild Tigers: 2005-2015. Born in England,
Andrea earned her B.A. in British Literature and
M.S in Wildlife Biology from the University of
Arizona (2003). Her Master's thesis "Perceptions
Regarding Elk in Northern Arizona" took her to
the White Mountains in northeastern Arizona,
where she worked with ranchers and resources
agency personnel to better understand and
mitigate conflicts among humans, cattle and elk.
Upon completion of her degree, Andrea joined to
WCS in 2003, and has been there ever since.