10 organizations you should support if you love cats (of all sizes)

Are you looking for a charity or organization to support which adheres to your values (your values = cats)? I put together a list of the top organizations which support the health and conservation of all felines. Most of these organizations provide fellowships and scholarships for young scientists; a donation to one means investment in the future of wild and domestic feline health. Plus, if you follow them on social media, non-stop cat action!

#1 
Panthera, founded by Thomas Kaplan and led by CEO Alan Rabinowitz, emphasizes the conservation of the 36 species of wild felids worldwide. From their Puma project in western North America and parts of Central and South America, to their Snow Leopard program in China, Nepal and India or their Jaguar corridor initiative spanning from Mexico to Argentina, Panthera is dedicated to the conservation and research of all wild felids.

#2 
BigCatsWildCats is an organization which attempts to connect the more than 200 organizations involved in wild cat rescue, research and conservation. Their website shares daily wild felid news and pictures from around the globe. They also host a blog which discusses current issues in wild felid management. This group is heavily invested in grassroots social media, so follow them on Facebook or Pinterest.

#3
The Cheetah Conservation Fund was founded in Namibia in 1990 and quickly became a leading organization in cheetah research and conservation. Cheetahs are the world’s fastest land animal and the most endangered wild felid in Africa. In 1900, Cheetah populations numbered ~100,000 but have since experienced extreme population declines; only 10,000 individuals exist today. Cheetahs were once abundant across Africa, the Middle East and into India, but now remain only in fragmented populations including one in Iran! The Cheetah Conservation Fund details numerous ways citizens can help scientists protect and preserve these graceful animals.

#4
The Snow Leopard Trust is an organization which builds community partnerships to conserve the Snow Leopard in China, India, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia and Pakistan. The Trust is working with local communities to determine conservation actions which benefit both leopards and people. In building these relationships, the Trust is helping to ensure the future of the Snow Leopard and the other wildlife that inhabit its range.

#5
Although they are not well-known, Scottish wildcats are the largest of the wildcat family. The Scottish wildcat (Felis silvestris grampia) is believed to be a sub-species of the European wildcat (Felis silvestris silvestris), and while it once roamed all of the British Isles, only a small population remains in the Scottish Highlands. The Save the Scottish Wildcat organization is dedicated to the conservation of these small mysterious cats.

#6

The Cougar Network is a research group that focuses on cougar-habitat relationships in North America. North American cougars—also known as mountain lions, pumas, panthers and catamounts—were extirpated from eastern North America, except for a small population in the Florida Everglades, the endangered Florida Panthers. The Cougar Network is diligently pursuing research of population and human-cougar interactions to provide the public with the best information possible about North America’s largest cat.

#7

The Wild Felid Research and Management Association is a cooperative group of scientists in the Americas. Their scholarships benefit early career scientists from North and South America who study wild felids. These scholarships are in honor of four scientists who lost their lives while researching wild felid health and conservation in the Americas. The organization is committed to the highest level of scientific and professional standards in wild felid management strategies. A recent scholarship provided funding for understanding puma ecology in Argentina.

#8 

The Felidae Fund represents a team of conservationist who believe that the conservation of wild felids will directly help to conserve the ecosystems where they occur. The team is increasingly using new technologies, not just for research, but for outreach to the public. The Felidae Fund has many research projects, including the study of bobcats and pumas in the San Francisco Bay Area, investigations into the ecology of fishing cats in Thailand, and projects examining the Arabian leopard in Oman.

#9

Founded in 1968, the Winn Feline Foundation is an organization which provides funding for medical research to improve the health and welfare of domestic cats. These grants provide veterinary researchers the resources they need to make the next discoveries in cat health. Recent Winn Feline Foundation awards sponsored studies for treatment of feline infectious peritonitis and chronic kidney disease, two important health issues of domestic cats.

#10

The Morris Animal Foundation (MAF) may have connections to stars like Betty White, but the organization is focused on improving the health of all domestic and wild animals. Recent MAF research projects have included genomic studies of feline infectious diseases and stem cell research in Tasmanian Devil Facial Tumor disease. The MAF is the largest non-profit organization in the world that provides funding for researchers of companion animal, horse and wildlife health.

The Top Ten Best Gifts for the Gardener in Your Life

As I don't have any followers at this point, nobody has probably noticed my year plus of absence. If someone did happen to stumble upon this blog by chance once and then came across it again, let me explain, I haven't been writing because of an autoimmune illness which left me exhausted for the past two years. I'm learning how to deal with it.

I finally have a little energy and motivation so I'm starting the writing back up! Soon, I'll talk about how I finished my PhD and my first postdoc while dealing with the physical and emotional effects of chronic illness.

 But not today. Today is all about my mom. Or, at least, her gardening.

My mom is a lifelong gardener. It is her talent and her passion. My West Virginia home is filled and surrounded by plants and flowers. Some of these are older than I am (~30)!

These are the essential tools (and great gift ideas) for any gardener based on my mom.


1.Garden Tiller
I think the tiller is my mom's favorite tool. At least in the Spring and the Autumn. As soon as the ground is soft, she pulls this out and tills up her garden. Then in the fall when everything is winding down, she aggressively tills everything under and covers the dirt in compost and dirt. Sometimes she'll plant winter wheat just to till it under in the spring. This is a tiny lady, almost 70 years old, and she loves putting in a hard day's work.

2. Flower bulbs
This is a go-to gift if you're a poor graduate student who has a gardener for a mother. Mother's Day? Birthday? Done. Over the years I have bought her tulips, irises, and gladiolas. She excitedly plants them right away or saves them for the right time of year. Then when I come home from wherever I am in the world, she points out all the flowers which resulted from my purchase.

3. Gardening Gloves
After my first postdoc ended, I became very sick and decided to head home to the Wild and Wonderful for a bit of rest and recuperation. I was inevitably put to work helping her landscape a dry creek bed. I had to dig footers and pull up weeds. Gloves saved my pipetting hands.

4. Heirloom seeds
Have you ever tried a heirloom tomato? Yes? Then you get it. No? You are in for a pleasant surprise.

5. Loppers
When you wake up at 7AM and your mom is already outside working, you feel a little guilty. No matter that you have a PhD and are well-respected in your field (I hope!), this lady is beating you at the game. When I walked outside one morning, I was handed a pair of loppers. First, I thought of all my happy memories cutting straw twigs and branches. Then I thought about my summer on the Ohio River Islands culling invasive plants. Then I realized she wanted me to trim the Boxwood tree and that I had a lot of work to do. Loppers are great for pruning and for putting your wayward vagabond of a daughter to work.

6. Marigolds
I think there is some science that suggests marigolds are an insect deterrent. If there is not, then there's an Old Wives Tale. Anyway, their pungent distinct scent seems like it could deter anything. To me, it's instant time travel to hot summer afternoons in my childhood. Each row of vegetables book-ended by a marigold.

7. Sunhat
Gardeners are people who love the elements. The type of people who open their windows after a thunderstorm to smell the petrichor. These are people who relish dirt under their nails and the wind in their face. Unfortunately, many of them forget to protect themselves against the sun. Sun damage can be bad cosmetically, but can also lead to skin cancers. Help your favorite gardener: buy them a sunhat.

8. Composter
I know I said the tiller may be my mom's favorite toy, but she has always been a hardcore composter. Husband's morning coffee grounds: composted. All the fall leaves she has her granddaughter rake up: composted. Branches from that boxwood tree: composted. In our house, if it was biodegradable, it was composted. In graduate school, there was a movement to increase composting on the university campus. My mom could have run circles around them.

9. Bamboo Stakes
Sustainable? Check. Perfect for bean poles? Check. Perfect for tomato stakes? Check. Perfect for your kids to pretend to be knights of the roundtable? Check.

10. Greenhouse
My mom's biggest dream was to have a greenhouse so she could start her garden earlier in the year, grow her seeds into seedlings, and maybe have an orchid or two. A few years ago, she finally got her wish. I'm happy to report that she treks down there during the cold and the rain to look over her little seed babies. She even built a stone walk leading to it. Buy your gardener a greenhouse and they will grow up so many different foods for you to eat.



Amazon links above because I have student loans yo.

Wildlife Disease Association Meeting in Knoxville, TN

Thoughts on Ebolavirus

This is something I wrote when a relative asked me for my thoughts on the ebolavirus outbreak. I sent it to my mom and she found it very calming so I hope that it helps anyone overly concerned. I encourage all my infectious disease/wildlife disease friends and colleagues to write about this or other diseases you feel the media is portraying in a less than ideal way.

…secondly, after you asked me, I gave this a lot of thought last night. I don't have a cable or satellite subscription so I feel like I am somewhat buffered from poor reporting, sensationalism and pundits. Also, most of my social media aside from facebook is all scientists, which I love, but also doesn't give me a good day-to-day perspective. In many ways, this is a conscious choice to avoid outlets that may interpret facts for me-- I prefer to form my own opinions/think about things.  I think it's a shame that the media is not more responsible, especially on volatile topics such as ebola or childhood vaccination. I think we all need to demand more from the media.

Based on what we know (quite a bit!) about the biology of the virus (it’s a filovirus), there is very little risk to the average person in the United States (http://www.jvat.org/content/20/1/44). Most of us do not come into contact with affected travelers from western African countries. This does not excuse xenophobia, however. As we're seeing, there is risk for healthcare workers (http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6341a3.htm) if the proper PPE (personal protective equipment) is not worn or there are breaches in protocol (http://www.nature.com/news/ebola-by-the-numbers-the-size-spread-and-cost-of-an-outbreak-1.16144). Hopefully, the situation in Dallas/the flight is a teachable moment and no more deaths or infections occur. The lack of PPE and training and resources in Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Libera is one of the major contributing causes to the ongoing epidemic there.

A person is only infectious (shedding virus) when they begin to show signs of infection (fever, malaise, etc) so if a person has a potential exposure, they can be quarantined for the duration of the incubation period (the time after a person is initially infected to when they are able to infect others). For more on this: (http://www.virology.ws/2014/10/16/the-quarantine-period-for-ebola-virus/)

To become infected, the person would have to have contact with the bodily fluids of an infectious person such as vomit, urine, feces, male ejaculate, etc. The virus is not transmissible via aerosol like other viruses.

 Some researchers have suggested that the virus may evolve to become transmissible in this manner, but the main researcher who suggested this is also the same guy who led a crusade against the research that helps us understand viral evolution (http://www.virology.ws/2014/09/18/what-we-are-not-afraid-to-say-about-ebola-virus/). I think in the very least, this highlights that we need to invest more in scientific research. I don’t want money fueled by fear-mongering, but sustainable and long-term investment (http://www.virology.ws/2014/10/15/would-we-have-an-ebola-virus-vaccine-if-not-for-nih-cuts/).  I’m in the field of wildlife diseases because of my interest in zoonotic (animal to human) diseases. I find the biology, ecology and epidemiology of parasites and viruses and fungi fascinating. And that’s good (kids should be encouraged to have these interests!), but I have to remember to always temper my interest with empathy. I support scientific research with an understanding of One Health (http://www.onehealthinitiative.com/).

And, finally, while we should be knowledgable and understand what’s going in the US concerning ebola (http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6341a5.htm), we should remember those who are affected in western African countries. What is going on there is truly heartbreaking and difficult to comprehend. The video I posted (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sc6dt5p12QY&feature=youtu.be) explains that ebola outbreaks were unexpected in this part of the African continent. Fear and misinformation have helped no one, just like they help no one in the US. The outbreak is also taking a toll on uninfected, but in need of care, people as the healthcare system in these countries is severely overburdened (http://www.nature.com/news/ebola-outbreak-shuts-down-malaria-control-efforts-1.16029). I hope we’re able to help with equipment, diagnostics, and manpower. But most of all, we can help by education of others and ourselves. Here are some charities I support: (http://www.redcross.org/ebolaoutbreak) & (http://www.msf.org/)

working through a bad semester

In Academia, it often seems like life moves by semesters.

Fall Semester-- new students & football.
Spring Semester-- wintry weather & teaching
Summer Semester-- conferences & playing catch-up on lab work

This fall semester has been particularly difficult for me emotionally.

 Heck, the year itself has been busy, moved quickly, and been full of big life events. Some of the events:

I was a stem-cell donor last December via http://bethematch.org/ It was a long and interesting process and one I may write up from a scientist's perspective.

Coming back from the holiday break I had my first major car accident. Physically I was not hurt, but I was two states away both directions from friends or family. And it was a big financial hit.

PhD comprehensive exams: I passed. Major hurdle!

Summer students...

Beginning to apply for jobs and postdocs.

Then this fall, I had to TA. I had done the course before, but having to do it again this fall was unexpected, but required for my assistantship. It took up more time than I expected and I am behind on my research and writing.

All of these things and more have hit me this fall with a vengeance. I have very little motivation. I am constantly worrying about the future, and finances. I am currently forcing myself to make it through the finals week for the class (undergrads get stressed too). Hopefully after Monday I'll regroup and pull it together.

Sometimes existential angst gets to me. Self-doubt. Worry. Heartache. Homesickness. Biological Clock.

It can become overwhelming. Luckily while working through this rough semester, I've learned a few ways to cope.

Running-- I've started to train for a half-marathon.
Finding a quiet place for a little bit-- usually a walk outside can calm a bad mood.
Reading-- Gotta remember your first love.
Twitter-- I started following some of my favorite scientists and comedians. It's inspiring.
Friendships-- Rather than a group, I've been focusing on a few close friends.

Black-footed Ferrets

So I've been busy with the PhD lately and haven't talked much about my recent travels. I need to amend this because I've been to a lot of really cool places in the past couple of months! I promise I'll set up a regular writing schedule soon.

http://www.blackfootedferret.org

In the meantime, yesterday I watched a really great talk about Black-footed ferrets. They are the only ferret species in the western hemisphere (the other two species are in Eurasia). You should watch it too:

A biologist talked to UGA's School of Forestry about the history and the future of this endangered (once thought to be extinct) amazing animals:
http://www.warnell.uga.edu/news/index.php/2013/11/back-from-the-brink-saving-the-endangered-black-footed-ferret/

www.prairiewildlife.org

More great resources:

http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/14020/0

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-footed_ferret

http://www.blackfootedferret.org/

http://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/species/mammals/blackfootedferret/

Photo from: commons.wikimedia.org

The spooky fungal pathogen that is killing our bats.

Since it is October and Halloween is coming up, I thought I should share something about bats! Wildlife disease is my field of research and around the time I was entering graduate school, scientists were puzzled by a new pathogen that was affecting bat populations in the US:

Bats in North America are undergoing a decimating disease epidemic. White-nose syndrome, caused by a fungus, has been ripping through populations of hibernating bats in the eastern US since 2006. Many bats species that were abundant at the turn of the century (less than 20 years ago) are now being listed as endangered. From a wildlife-loving standpoint, this is heartbreaking.

Bats often have a bad reputation because they are perceived to be reservoirs for disease or because they may not be as cute as other mammals (I disagree!), but they are an essential part of our North American ecosystem. They provide billions of dollars in ecosystem services (pest management, pollination, etc). Bats benefit you, even though you may not realize it.

So, from a wildlife resources standpoint, this is a terrible epidemic as well.

For more information, visit:http://www.nwhc.usgs.gov/disease_information/white-nose_syndrome/