KTTC Medical Director Dr Carstairs is one busy lady – not only does she run the turtle care program at KTTC, she also works at Toronto Wildlife Centre and teaches future vet techs at Seneca College. And yet she’s managed to squeeze in some self-funded travel over the past year to both learn from and share with turtle conservation practitioners close to home and further afield.
This year she’s met up with Blanding’s Turtle researchers in Ontario and the maritimes, presented at the Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA) conference in Orlando, Florida, attended the Canadian Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Network meeting in Thunder Bay, and is starting some collaborative projects with biologists at the University of Toronto, and organizations like the Suzuki Foundation, and Ontario Nature. She’s topped it off with a trip to India to learn how the TSA is dealing with the Asian Turtle Crisis through education campaigns and stewardship initiatives. This networking helps KTTC keep up-to-date with new research and conservation practices, and share our knowledge with others.
Visit the TSA’s Blog to read more about her trip to India to visit the Kukrail Turtle Breeding Centre in Lucknow, the Garhaita Turtle Conservation Centre (near Etawah) and the Deori Eco-Centre in Madhya Pradesh.
