Expedition Team

Shaun Dunn

Salama! My name is Shaun Dunn, I am 24 years old and from St. Louis, Missouri where I still live when I’m not in the field. I am currently working as Luke Dollar’s field assistant and Julie Pomerantz’s veterinary technician in the Ankarafantsika National Park in Northwestern Madagascar. I graduated from Central Missouri State University in 2002 with a B.S. in Biology and a minor in Fire Science. This is my second trip to Madagascar, joining the fossa team for the first time in 2001, also as Luke’s assistant.

I arrived in Madagascar in late June of this year and will be staying until December working on radio-tracking the fossas we have collared this summer, as well as teaching English to a few of our Malagasy colleagues and hosts, as they teach me Malagasy! Another project that I hope to start working on is the training of the Ecological Monitoring Team for Ankarafantsika who will keep records of observed species to help assess biodiversity in our research area. The Monitoring team will be composed of Malagasy from the local villages – once farmers and hunters, but now stewards of their environment.

My work with Luke and the fossa team is heading toward a project for a Master’s degree that I plan to start in the Fall of 2004 at Auburn University. For now I’m learning as much as I can from this experience and having a great time as well. Take care.