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News & Reports
Awards
THE efforts of a veterinarian in conserving an endangered species of crane in Rwanda have been recognised by a Rolex Award for Enterprise. Olivier Nsengimana has been named as a ‘young laureate’ by Rolex for his work to save Rwanda’s grey crowned crane. He will receive 50,000 Swiss francs (about £32,500) towards his project. Mr Nsengimana graduated in 2010 from the Higher Institute of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry in Rwanda’s Northern Province and joined the charity Gorilla Doctors in Musanze in the north of Rwanda as a field veterinarian. He is currently studying for a masters degree in conservation medicine at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, Edinburgh, by distance learning. Many animal species in Rwanda are under threat as a result of poaching and habitat encroachment. The grey crowned crane is regarded as a symbol of wealth and longevity in Rwanda and is a desirable pet for the country’s elite. Despite a government ban on killing, injuring, capturing or selling endangered species, poachers steal the birds and sell them cheaply. As a result, the crane’s population has fallen by 80 per cent over the past 45 years and the species is classified as 82 | Veterinary Record | July 26, 2014
Photograph: Rolex Awards/Thierry Grobet
Timely recognition for conservation effort
Olivier Nsengimana restrains a grey crowned crane while an identification ring, linked to a GPS code, is fitted to its leg. The captive crane lives in the grounds of a hotel in Kigali
‘endangered’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Only 300 to 500 are thought to exist in the wild in Rwanda, although the species is present in other countries.
Mr Nsengimana aims to establish a national database of grey crowned cranes in Rwanda, listing all those kept in captivity. A rehabilitation centre is to be set up in Akagera National Park in the north east of Rwanda and Mr Nsengimana hopes to use an amnesty programme to encourage those who are keeping the birds as pets to allow them to be taken to the centre from which they could be reintroduced to the wild. Breeding programmes will also be promoted. To tackle the problem of birds being poached from the wild, he will run a national media campaign to help educate people on pursuing livelihoods without threatening endangered species. In the longer term, he says, ‘I want to train young veterinarians to help with this project and take ownership of conservation projects, and, so far, the response has been extremely positive.’ The Rolex Awards for Enterprise recognise ‘extraordinary individuals who possess the courage and conviction to take on major challenges’. The awards are made for new or ongoing projects anywhere in the world to support their capacity to improve lives or protect the world’s natural and cultural heritage. doi: 10.1136/vr.g4726
Downloaded from http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/ on July 9, 2015 - Published by group.bmj.com
Timely recognition for conservation effort
Veterinary Record 2014 175: 82
doi: 10.1136/vr.g4726 Updated information and services can be found at: http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/content/175/4/82.1
These include:
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Notes
To request permissions go to: http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions To order reprints go to: http://journals.bmj.com/cgi/reprintform To subscribe to BMJ go to: http://group.bmj.com/subscribe/
News & Reports
Awards
THE efforts of a veterinarian in conserving an endangered species of crane in Rwanda have been recognised by a Rolex Award for Enterprise. Olivier Nsengimana has been named as a ‘young laureate’ by Rolex for his work to save Rwanda’s grey crowned crane. He will receive 50,000 Swiss francs (about £32,500) towards his project. Mr Nsengimana graduated in 2010 from the Higher Institute of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry in Rwanda’s Northern Province and joined the charity Gorilla Doctors in Musanze in the north of Rwanda as a field veterinarian. He is currently studying for a masters degree in conservation medicine at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, Edinburgh, by distance learning. Many animal species in Rwanda are under threat as a result of poaching and habitat encroachment. The grey crowned crane is regarded as a symbol of wealth and longevity in Rwanda and is a desirable pet for the country’s elite. Despite a government ban on killing, injuring, capturing or selling endangered species, poachers steal the birds and sell them cheaply. As a result, the crane’s population has fallen by 80 per cent over the past 45 years and the species is classified as 82 | Veterinary Record | July 26, 2014
Photograph: Rolex Awards/Thierry Grobet
Timely recognition for conservation effort
Olivier Nsengimana restrains a grey crowned crane while an identification ring, linked to a GPS code, is fitted to its leg. The captive crane lives in the grounds of a hotel in Kigali
‘endangered’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Only 300 to 500 are thought to exist in the wild in Rwanda, although the species is present in other countries.
Mr Nsengimana aims to establish a national database of grey crowned cranes in Rwanda, listing all those kept in captivity. A rehabilitation centre is to be set up in Akagera National Park in the north east of Rwanda and Mr Nsengimana hopes to use an amnesty programme to encourage those who are keeping the birds as pets to allow them to be taken to the centre from which they could be reintroduced to the wild. Breeding programmes will also be promoted. To tackle the problem of birds being poached from the wild, he will run a national media campaign to help educate people on pursuing livelihoods without threatening endangered species. In the longer term, he says, ‘I want to train young veterinarians to help with this project and take ownership of conservation projects, and, so far, the response has been extremely positive.’ The Rolex Awards for Enterprise recognise ‘extraordinary individuals who possess the courage and conviction to take on major challenges’. The awards are made for new or ongoing projects anywhere in the world to support their capacity to improve lives or protect the world’s natural and cultural heritage. doi: 10.1136/vr.g4726
Downloaded from http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/ on July 9, 2015 - Published by group.bmj.com
Timely recognition for conservation effort
Veterinary Record 2014 175: 82
doi: 10.1136/vr.g4726 Updated information and services can be found at: http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/content/175/4/82.1
These include:
Email alerting service
Receive free email alerts when new articles cite this article. Sign up in the box at the top right corner of the online article.
Notes
To request permissions go to: http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions To order reprints go to: http://journals.bmj.com/cgi/reprintform To subscribe to BMJ go to: http://group.bmj.com/subscribe/
