Description:
Forensics is a relevant topic in numerous situations related to wildlife, such as conservation and monitoring projects, routine pathological examinations, or expertise requested in the frame of police investigations and by insurance companies, and most – if not all – people working with wildlife have been confronted with cases that could be classified as forensic cases. However, as the approach of such cases requires a rigorous procedure that might differ a lot from routine post-mortem examinations, recording of evidence is often incomplete. Furthermore, many cases cannot be solved due to the lack of knowledge about available modern techniques and/or inappropriate sampling. The goal of the course is to provide practical tools to the participants, in order to assist them in getting answers when facing forensic cases: procedures, adequate sampling and diagnostic methods, specific examples as reference material, contact addresses of experts or laboratories to consult. Since time will be restricted to a minimum for each topic, the participants will receive a written documentation for later consultation, as a support in their future work.
Program:
The workshop will consist both in a theoretical and practical part. In the afternoon sessions, participants will be encouraged to bring cases from their own lab (clear, interesting ones; or unclear ones to discuss with the expert). A definitive program will be available soon. Topics that will be covered include determination of the time of death, poisoning, trauma investigation, and genetics.
Experts who have already agreed to contribute to the workshop:
Dr. Philippe Berny (National Veterinary School of Lyon, France)
Dr. Frank van der Goot (Dutch Forensic Institute, the Netherlands)
Dr. Luca Fumagalli (Laboratory of Conservation Biology, Switzerland)
Target audience:
Both people with and without experience in wildlife forensics are welcome to participate.
A maximum of 50 participants will be accepted on a "first come, first save" basis.
Duration:
one day
Contact for requests: