Wildlife Webinars

Wildlife Rehabilitation Ireland (WRI) offers a diverse range of webinars aimed at educating the public, wildlife enthusiasts, and professionals involved in wildlife care and conservation. These webinars cover a wide array of topics related to wildlife rehabilitation, conservation strategies, veterinary care for wild animals, and the challenges facing wildlife in Ireland and globally.

Educational Focus

• Wildlife Rehabilitation Techniques: Provides training on how to care for injured or orphaned wildlife, with guidance on initial assessment, emergency care, and long-term rehabilitation strategies.
• Conservation Efforts: Highlights ongoing conservation projects and strategies to protect endangered species and habitats, emphasizing the role of rehabilitation centers in conservation efforts.
• Veterinary Care: Offers insights into the specialised veterinary care required for different wildlife species, including diagnostics, treatment options, and post-release monitoring.
• Legal and Ethical Considerations: Discusses the legal framework governing wildlife protection and rehabilitation in Ireland, ethical considerations in wildlife care, and the importance of compliance with wildlife legislation.

Audience Engagement

• Interactive Q&A Sessions: Most webinars include a live Q&A segment, allowing participants to engage directly with experts, ask questions, and discuss real-world scenarios.
• Case Studies: Presenters often share compelling case studies from their own experiences, providing practical insights into the challenges and successes of wildlife rehabilitation.

Expertise and Collaboration

• Expert Speakers: Webinars are conducted by professionals and experts in the field of wildlife rehabilitation, veterinary medicine, conservation, and related disciplines.
• Collaborations: WRI collaborates with other organisations and specialists to bring a wide range of perspectives and expertise to the webinar topics.

Accessibility and Resources

• Online Accessibility: The webinars are designed to be accessible online, enabling participation from a global audience interested in wildlife rehabilitation and conservation.
• Supplementary Materials: Participants may have access to additional resources, such as webinar recordings, presentation slides, and further reading materials to enhance their learning experience.

WRI’s webinars serve as an invaluable resource for those looking to deepen their understanding of wildlife rehabilitation and conservation, offering up-to-date information, expert insights, and practical advice to support the wellbeing of wildlife in Ireland and beyond.

APRIL WEBINAR – Environmental DNA and One Health: Bridging Wildlife, Ecosystems, and Human Well-being

REGISTER: HERE  After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Join us at this FREE webinar with Marine biologist Bogna Griffin and David Duffy, Assistant Professor of Wildlife Disease Genomics at the Florida Sea Turtle Hospital on the 30th April, 7.30pm

Additional Information

Environmental DNA (eDNA) is revolutionising the way we study and protect wildlife, offering a non-invasive method to detect species, monitor biodiversity, and even track diseases in the environment. At the same time, the One Health approach recognises the deep connections between human, animal, and ecosystem health. But how do these two fields intersect? This webinar will introduce participants to the fundamentals of eDNA and One Health, exploring how cutting-edge scientific techniques can enhance conservation efforts, improve disease surveillance, and provide early warnings for emerging environmental threats.

Bringing together experts from Ireland and beyond, this session will feature insights from David Duffy and Bogna Griffin. They will discuss real-world applications of eDNA in wildlife conservation and its role in understanding health risks that affect animals and humans alike. Whether you’re a conservationist, veterinary professional, scientist, or simply curious about new ways to protect nature, this webinar will provide an accessible introduction to these important topics and their growing relevance in Ireland and internationally.

Presenters:

Bogna Griffin is a marine biologist with expertise in aquatic conservation, molecular biology, and environmental DNA (eDNA) applications. She holds a Master’s in Conservation Medicine of Aquatic Animals and a BSc in Applied Freshwater and Marine Biology. Since 2019, she has worked as a Scientific & Technical Officer at the Marine Institute, Galway, Ireland, leading the National Crayfish Plague Surveillance Programme.

With extensive field and lab experience, she has worked on projects involving bottlenose dolphin eDNA sampling, sea turtle conservation, and invasive species management. She has presented research internationally and contributed to multiple scientific publications. She is also a certified marine mammal observer, divemaster, pilot, and experienced in marine wildlife rescue.

David Duffy Dr. David Duffy obtained a B.A. in natural sciences from Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. He earned his Ph.D. in zoology from the National University of Ireland, Galway, and held postdoctoral and research fellow positions at University College Dublin’s Systems Biology Ireland, the University of Florida’s Whitney Laboratory and Bangor University’s Environment Centre Wales. He has held faculty positions at the University of Limerick, Ireland, and the University of Florida Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience and Sea Turtle Hospital, where he is an Assistant Professor of Wildlife Disease Genomics. His lab applies One Health principles, genomics, and experimental approaches to animal and human health and disease. He also uses environmental DNA (eDNA) for biodiversity, habitat health and ecological monitoring, and for pathogen surveillance and endangered species detection. This includes aquatic, sediment and air based eDNA approaches. His eDNA genomics field research spans from Ireland to the US and Galapagos, with a particular focus on sea turtles and whole biodiversity approaches.

MARCH WEBINAR – Sniffing out Solutions: How Detection Dogs are Revolutionising Wildlife Conservation

Join us at this FREE webinar with Ciarán Cronin, Wildeye on the 26th Mar, 7.30pm

If you love wildlife and dogs, then this is the webinar for you.

In collaboration with UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science postgraduate taught masters committee, Ciarán Cronin of Wildeye, will introduce you to the capabilities of detection dogs for ecological research and conservation purposes.

Wildeye is a leading wildlife fieldwork and survey business. Ciarán is a highly experienced ecologist, birdwatcher and general naturalist with over 40 years experience as an ornithologist and ecologist.

Click Here to register for what will be a fascinating insight into this field of work.

FEBRUARY WEBINAR – SAFEGUARDING NATURE: HEDGEROW PROTECTION IN IRELAND

Join us at this FREE webinar with Kieran Flood, Irish Wildlife Trust, Mark McDowell, Hedgerows Ireland, and Aoife McPartlin, WRI, on the 27th Feb, 7.30pm

PAWs for Wildlife
24 May 2023

See how you can help fight wildlife crime by taking part in this webinar

We are delighted to be joined by Damien Hannigan of the Irish Deer Commission to bring you this webinar, created to increase awareness and understanding of wildlife crime.
The webinar introduces the different types of wild animals affected, the legislation protecting them and examples of wildlife crimes.

It also offers guidance on the agencies to approach if you’re suspicious of wildlife crime and a free download to keep and use in the event that you come across a suspicious incident.

Because of how and where these offences happen, they’re notoriously difficult to detect or investigate and the true scale of the problem is believed to be far worse than published figures suggest.

Companion animals are also vulnerable to these methods – in particular, poison baits deliberately laid out in the countryside to target wildlife. These are completely indiscriminate and pose a danger to anything (or anyone) that happens upon them.

Kindly sponsored by the Irish Environment Network

A veterinary approach to Wildlife Crime
10 March 2023

Veterinary professionals can help fight wildlife crime by taking part in this one hour webinar

This webinar, especially for veterinary professionals has been created to increase awareness and understanding of wildlife crime.
The webinar introduces the different types of wild animals affected, the legislation protecting them and presentations on shooting, trapping and poisoning.

It also offers guidance on the agencies to approach if you’re suspicious of wildlife crime and a free download to keep and use in the event that you come across a suspicious incident.
The webinar has been put together by wildlife and exotics vet Mark Naguib BVMS(Hons) CertAVP(ZooMed) MRCVS.

Why veterinary professionals should do this course
At some point in your career you will be sure to encounter a wildlife casualty.
Wildlife are specialist patients and are targeted by illegal shooting, trapping and poisoning across Ireland. Because of how and where these offences happen, they’re notoriously difficult to detect or investigate and the true scale of the problem is believed to be far worse than published figures suggest.

Companion animals are also vulnerable to these methods – in particular, poison baits deliberately laid out in the countryside to target wildlife. These are completely indiscriminate and pose a danger to anything (or anyone) that happens upon them.

On the front line
Veterinary professionals are on the front line assessing and treating sick and injured wildlife. They’re in a prime position to make sure valuable evidence is preserved for any investigation initiated by the National Parks and Wildlife Service or gardai.

By detecting and reporting these incidents appropriately you’ll also help fill the information gap on just how prevalent wildlife crime is across Ireland.

*2020

Welcome to our second Webinar – this time Hedgehogs

Many thanks to Vicki and all attendees

Guest Speaker

We are delighted to ‘virtually’ welcome Vicki as our Guest Speaker

Vicki Baldrey BSc(Hons) BVSc DZooMed(Avian) MRCVS RCVS Recognised Specialist in Zoo and Wildlife Medicine.

Vicki qualified from Liverpool Vet School in 2005 and has since worked in first opinion and referral exotics practices in the UK and overseas. She obtained the RCVS Diploma in Zoological Medicine in 2014 and became an RCVS Recognised Specialist in Zoo and Wildlife Medicine in 2016. Vicki joined the RVC Exotics team in 2016 as a part-time Exotics clinician at the Beaumont Sainsbury Animal Hospital in Camden. Vicki spends the rest of her time-based in Nantwich, Cheshire, working with exotic pet and wildlife species.

*2020

Welcome to our first webinar for 2020 ‘Wildlife Veterinary Medicine Q&A’

Many thanks to Vicki and all attendees

Guest Speaker

We are delighted to ‘virtually’ welcome Vicki as our Guest Speaker

Vicki Baldrey BSc(Hons) BVSc DZooMed(Avian) MRCVS RCVS Recognised Specialist in Zoo and Wildlife Medicine. Vicki qualified from Liverpool Vet School in 2005 and has since worked in first opinion and referral exotics practices in the UK and overseas. She obtained the RCVS Diploma in Zoological Medicine in 2014 and became an RCVS Recognised Specialist in Zoo and Wildlife Medicine in 2016. Vicki joined the RVC Exotics team in 2016 as a part time Exotics clinician at the Beaumont Sainsbury Animal Hospital in Camden. Vicki spends the rest of her time-based in Nantwich, Cheshire, working with exotic pet and wildlife species.