Looking For Tissue Samples From bushpigs

[Marine]

Hello everyone,

I have a request for all the bushpig hunters in southern Africa. I am a French researcher but I have been living in South Africa for 6 years. With some colleagues, we are trying to understand the genetics of bushpigs across Africa, but we are missing some flesh samples (like an ear clip for example or a piece of skin 5cmx5cm) from southern African bushpigs.

If any of you are hunting bushpigs and could help me with this request, I would really appreciate it. I am based in the Western Cape at the moment but I am traveling a lot. It will cost you nothing as I will cover the expenses if the sample needs to be sent to me.

Please, let me know if you can help, that would be awesome.
Thank you all.

Best regards,
Marine

 

[Buckdog]

Marine,
Might I suggest that if you are legitimate you please provide details such as what university? What study? who you are? are you a anti-hunting troll or organization? who is funding the research and what is it for etc??? If you are legit then you should have no problems with providing the details and I am wonder why you didnt at the start???

 

[Odinsraven]

Indeed can pass your details to several lodges ..however need credentials and indeed methodology ......as honestly there seems no validity in any of your request ...example travelling a lot ...no details on capture .....sounds really sketchy for a scientific research project ...have worked on these for artic fox goose and other animals ...what is your current level of qualification and indeed university facility etc2 etc .....

What have you published to date ?

 

[siml]

Marine, you can whatsapp me for samples. +27825727725

 

[Marine]

Good morning everyone,

Sorry, it seems like that I have upset some of you

Here we go:
My name is Marine Drouilly, I am a PhD student at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, at the Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa. You can find my student page here:http://www.icwild.uct.ac.za/icwild/students/phd/drouilly
My PhD is on black-backed jackal/caracal conflict with small-livestock farmers in the Karoo (Western Cape mostly). I am only finishing my PhD early next year so my papers are all mostly in preparation for now but you can have a look at my Research Gate page for what I have published so far: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Marine_Drouilly

Before being a PhD student, I worked on brown bears in Canada and Alaska, mountain sheep in France, zebras in Zimbabwe...

The bushpig project is not directly part of my PhD. It is a side project with the German Primate Center. I know, bushpigs are not primates but the researchers there are very strong in genetics and they have the knowledge to work on other species too. I have already worked with them on a similar topic on jackals, see: https://www.researchgate.net/public...mong_mitochondrial_lineages_of_African_jackal We are following the same methodology for the upcoming paper on bushpigs. Not much is known about bushpigs and starting with their genetic structure is a good start.

Well, I hope it is enough. Ask me questions if you want to know more. I currently have a collection permit for the Western and Northern Cape only (collection from road kills and animals killed legally by farmers/PH). I will apply for other necessary permits once I know if anyone can assist me.

Thank you.

 

[Ridgewalker]

Very interesting you picked out such an ugly creature to investigate. I am curious to follow your research. I have only taken one and he was really ugly!

 

[Marine]

Ha ha Ridgewalker! We don't pick animals for how they look like (or maybe we do as beautiful species brings more funding for research I guess...). Very little is known about bushpigs so it very interesting to investigate. And in the meantime, I am working on caracals (those are really beautiful!). If we manage to conduct our research, I will gladly send the paper to the forum, no problem but to do so, I need some samples fro Southern Africa

 

[Ryan]

Great research @Marine. If you still need samples in 9 months when I hunt the east cape I'll see what I can do.

I understand the interesting side projects. I worked on a northern bobwhite project in Florida for my MS and that project spun off a snake project and another bobwhite genetics project.
Good luck!

 

[Nyati]

Good luck with your samples @Marine, a bushpig is still on my list, but it might still take some time.

By the way, I don´t think they are ugly at all !

 

[Marine]

@Nyati, I agree! In fact, I find them fascinating! They look like they are coming from another planet.

Thank you everyone. I will be in touch again when the hunting season start again around March I guess.
Happy festive season!
Marine

 

[ChrisG]

@Marine Sorry you got a rough introduction to the forum. You have to understand that AH probably gets more haters and angry people trolling through than any other internet forum barring the KKK (if they have a forum... I don't know.) As such, forum members are usually a little hesitant to jump up to help answer what might seem an innocent, albeit strange question. There are too many people who want to discredit those who hunt as savage, ignorant, selfish hicks who just like to kill stuff as bloodsport. Obviously we are not here doing that and we (hunters) have done more to preserve the worlds game species than all of the animal rights groups combined. So, if at first you got an abrasive introduction... just know where most of the hunters on here are coming from. Oh, and welcome to the best forum on earth!!

 

[PARA45]

Welcome to the forum Marine! Good luck on your study!

 

[BigJohnx13]

Marine

Ive got some good advice. When you travel to a town contact the local hunting club. Ask them to do a small talk on your studies and what you have discovered so far and why the study is so important, and explain why the hunters contribution is also important, The hunters will always welcome and support legit people that has the same values on hunting sustainability of animals and nature. This will open your resources more than you can handle. At our club a lot of students have done this and gained a lot of info at once.

 

[Marine]

Marine

Ive got some good advice. When you travel to a town contact the local hunting club. Ask them to do a small talk on your studies and what you have discovered so far and why the study is so important, and explain why the hunters contribution is also important, The hunters will always welcome and support legit people that has the same values on hunting sustainability of animals and nature. This will open your resources more than you can handle. At our club a lot of students have done this and gained a lot of info at once.

Thank you for the great advice BigJohnx13. I will definitely try to do that. I had a few great contacts with some hunters and taxidermists and will hopefully get enough samples to be able to conduct the research.
Best regards,
M