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The survival of a species is dependent on maintaining the health and well-being of individuals and populations. The production of hormones is the foundation of species survival by regulating reproduction and facilitating the maintenance of homeostasis. Researchers have been evaluating and monitoring gonadal, pituitary and adrenal hormones for decades, and yet our understanding of these physiological mechanisms is limited to only a small percentage (2-3%) of wildlife species.
The International Society of Wildlife Endocrinology (ISWE) was initiated in 2010 out of a desire by wildlife endocrinologists to further knowledge and expand resources in this field of study. ISWE presents an opportunity for developing and applying non-invasive endocrine monitoring techniques much more broadly and systematically to help solve a variety of management problems for many zoo-held species. These tools can also be used to monitor, better understand and manage the health and well-being of wildlife.
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| Chair |
Katie Edwards |
Chester Zoo |
UK |
| Chair-Elect |
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| Vice Chair of Memberships & Fundraising |
Ratna Ghosal |
Ahmedabad University |
India |
| Vice Chair of Ethics and Special Initiatives |
Kerry Fanson |
La Trobe University |
Australia |
| Treasurer |
Tina Chiarelli |
University of Central Florida |
USA |
| Secretary |
Kathleen Hunt |
George Mason University |
USA |
| Conference Chair |
Jella Wauters |
Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research |
Germany |
| Communications Chair |
Tamara Keeley |
University of Queensland |
Australia |
| Trainee Representative |
Allie Case |
George Mason University |
USA |
| Emeritus Board Member |
Janine Brown |
National Zoo Conservation Biology Institute, Smithsonian Institution |
USA |
| Emeritus Board Member |
Karen Goodrowe |
Point Defiance Zoo |
USA |
| Emeritus Board Member |
Linda Penfold |
SEZARC |
USA |
| Emeritus Board Member |
Mandi Schook |
Disney's Animal Kingdom |
USA |
Emeritus Board Member
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Nadja Wielebnowski
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Oregon Zoo
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USA |
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ISWE's History
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2023: The 8th ISWE Conference is held in Jim Corbett National Park, India, hosted by
Ahmedabad University, Ahmedabad, the Center for Cellular and Molecular Biology, LaCones, Hyderabad, and the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun
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2021: ISWE's first ever Virtual event is held online. The event focused on studies of glucocorticoids in wildlife. and encouraged interaction and discussion through several panel sessions.
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2019: The 7th ISWE Conference is held at Kruger National Park, South Africa, hosted by the University of Pretoria.
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2017: The 6th ISWE Conference is held in Orlando, Florida at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
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2016: A Strategic Planning workshop was held at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (Front Royal, VA)
, bringing together board members, emeritus, advisors, students and academic partners to discuss the needs of the organization and establish a 5-year strategic plan.
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2016: ISWE obtained official status as a 501c3 non-profit corporation based in the United States.
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2015: The 5th ISWE Conference is held in Berlin at Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research.
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2013: The 4th ISWE Conference is held in Chicago at Lincoln Park Zoo.
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2012: ISWE holds its 3rd annual conference at Vetmeduni Vienna, Austria.
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2011: ISWE holds its 2nd annual conference at the Toronto Zoo.
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2010: ISWE holds its 1st annual conference at the Cincinnati Zoo.
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2010: International Society of Wildlife Endocrinology (ISWE) is established. ISWE’s inaugural mission is “to advance the field of wildlife endocrinology by promoting stronger inter-disciplinary collaboration among wildlife and conservation biologists to optimize animal health, reproduction, and welfare in support of global conservation efforts” and vision is “to provide an international forum that facilitates the exchange of information and development of collaborative wildlife endocrine studies and to help advance the use of non-invasive and minimally invasive sampling technologies and assist in the standardization of methods and analyses for the scientific study of wildlife physiology both
in situ and ex situ”.
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2008: Two wildlife endocrinology workshops were held in 2008 and 2009 at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (Front Royal, VA). It was recognized that wildlife endocrinologists have not had a setting for sharing methods, resources and knowledge about their research except for scientific publications. The majority of projects never make it to publication, because many are analyzing samples for clinical reasons (i.e., health and reproduction of one or two animals located at their facility/zoo). The information that they have gathered is extremely important. Additionally, there are a lack of resources for scientists who want to begin using these non-invasive methods.
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