Hello,
my name is Jennifer Scheibling and I am really excited to
be a part of this year’s Fossa Team. I am 24 years old and
after taking a couple of years off from undergrad school
I will be going back to finish up my degree this coming
fall as a wildlife biology student at the University of
Montana.
I first became interested in the fossa during a summer internship at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical
Garden where I had the privelege of working with the two they have on display in their Cat House (yes,
I’m aware that a fossa is not a cat, that’s just the most logical location to house them at that particular
zoo). While I don’t like to anthropomorphize wildlife, the more I got to know the fossa at the Zoo the
more I realized that these guys have “character”. This, coupled with the fact that there is very little
information available on this species perked my interest and ever since I have wanted to visit the “red
island” ( a place that has always fascinated me to begin with) and work hand’s on with the fossa.
I arrived in Antananarivo (Madagascar’s capital) a.k.a Tana, on March 19th and for the past couple
of month’s have been getting to know the local way of life. I have visited Ranomafana National Park,
which is south-east of Tana in the rainforest, and have also been to Ankarafantsika several times which
is where our camp is located and where the majority of our research will take place.
If graduate school is in my future, the fossa is definitely a species I am considering as a potential
thesis topic. Since that decision has not yet been made all I’m thinking about right now is having fun,
seeing a lot of great wildlife, and learning about small carnivore conservation and field research in
a developing country.
We will be heading out to camp to begin research sometime in the beginning of June so stay “tuned in”
and looked forward to some really interesting reports from the field as well as some amazing photos.
