Field Research in Gambia
Dear John, Perran, David, and Kent,
On behalf of myself, Matt Shirley, both the Gambian and Senegalese Divisions of Wildlife Management, and the Croco’s Ark Trust, I would like to express our sincerest thanks. Your support for field supplies enabled us to conduct the first official surveys for crocodiles in both countries in over 20 years! This not only afforded us the opportunity to officially assess the status of Osteolaemus tetraspis and Mecistops cataphractus in the Sene-Gambia region but also provided a unique training opportunity for Gambian and Senegalese park rangers.
As I am sure you are aware, both species were presumed locally extinct as the last surveys detected neither species (M. cataphractus hadn’t been recorded for at least four decades!). The result of our surveys was the rediscovery of active, breeding populations of both species here in The Gambia and breeding populations of O. tetraspis in Senegal! While we are certainly excited at this find, we remain concerned about the precarious status of all crocodilians in this particular region of West Africa. Your support has additionally enabled us to train a cadre of researchers from both countries about crocodile conservation and research. This training and research has facilitated the initiation of a long-term monitoring program that will provide the field-based support for a planned ex-situ captive breeding for a re-population effort that has already begun developing its infrastructure and securing funding.
We look forward to keeping you abreast of conservation and research developments here in Sene-Gambia! A report of our work will be forwarded to you upon completion.
Best Regards,
Kate Ingenloff, US Peace Corps Volunteer
Secretary, Croco’s Ark Trust

BLOG TOPICS
- Why do crocodiles sit with their mouths open?
- A Chinese Alligator in Heliox: Format Frequencies in a Crocodilian
- Crocodylian Head Width Allometry and Phylogenetic Prediction of Body Size in Extinct Crocodyliforms
- Divergent Morphology among Populations of the New Guinea Crocodile, Crocodylus novaeguineae (Schmidt, 1928): Diagnosis of an Independent Lineage and Description of a New Species
- The Frontoparietal Fossa and Dorsotemporal Fenestra of Archosaurs and Their Significance for Interpretations of Vascular and Muscular Anatomy in Dinosaurs
- Surveying death roll behavior across Crocodylia
- Meeting Karen Allen
- Crocodiles using tools?
- Can Crocodiles change color?
- SAAF Film Credits
- Yacare caiman eating the eggs of a conspecific during oviposition
- Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is…
- Are Crocodilians Like Dinosaurs?
- Crocodilian Immune Activity
- Field Research in Gambia
- Crocodile Laying Eggs After a Move
- Crocodile Food
- Crocodilian Enrichment: The good, the bad, and the untried
- Crocodilian Stationing: Incidental Benefits to a Basic Training Technique
- Crocodilian Tooth Replacement
- Crocodilians Drinking
- Pheromone Collection from Crocodilians
- Chinese Alligators
- Frozen Zoo
- Galloping Crocodilians
- Alligator CT Scan
- Crocodilians Eating Their Vegetables
- Crocodilians Swallowing Underwater
- Crocodiles as Parents
- Crocodiles Feeding Their Young
- Courtship Behavior of American Alligators
- Social Displays of the American Alligator
- Green screen
- Crocodilian Bite-force
- Endoscopy of Crocodilians
- Mummy Crocodiles
- MYTH-BUSTERS