Pre-Conference Wildlife Immobilization Course Offered

The Canadian Association of Zoo and Wildlife Veterinarians will be conducting a three-day wildlife immobilization course immediately prior to the start of the TWS Annual Conference this October. Operated independently of the Annual Conference, this is an opportunity for wildlife professionals to incur just one travel expense to gain the knowledge and benefits from both events. The combination lecture and hand-on experience approach of the course will help a field resource manager better understand the principles and practices of chemical restraint of wildlife.

The course is limited to 25 participants, so don’t delay if you’re interested in this additional learning opportunity. Complete information about the course and contact information is displayed below.

Canadian Association of Zoo and Wildlife Veterinarian’s Wildlife Immobilization Course

Instructors: Charlene Berkvens, D.V.M., D.V.Sc. and Graham Crawshaw, B.Vet.Med., M.S., MRCVS, Dipl. ACZM

Tuesday, October 13th – Friday, October 16th, 2015 (the course starts at 1 pm on Tuesday October 13th and the exam is in the morning on Friday, October 16th)

This course, designed by the Canadian Association of Zoo and Wildlife Veterinarians (CAZWV), is a three-day relatively intense program that provides the background information required by a field resource manager to understand the principles and practices of chemical restraint of wildlife. It is comprised of numerous lectures, a darting practice session, a hands-on session of loading and unloading darts and a necropsy demonstration that helps solidify the anatomical and physiological information taught in the lectures. In order to pass the course students must receive 80% on the exam that they write at the end of the course. This course provides students the opportunity to develop a strong base of knowledge on this topic; however, individuals must meet the requirements set out by their employer and applicable local and federal laws to immobilize free ranging wildlife.

Cost per participant: $300 CDN (maximum 25 participants), paid by cheque or cash by August 30, 2015.

The majority of the course will be taught at facilities within the International Polar Bear Conservation Centre at the Assiniboine Park Zoo.

To register, please contact Dr. Erin McCance at: ummccanc@cc.umanitoba.ca, with your name, affiliation, email, and phone number.