The Open School of Tropical Animal

Science and Production

   11/14/2024 8:12:25 PM

EDUCATION

Education on wildlife production and management

The course AL65B: Tropical Zoo and Wildlife Production and Management (which was developed and has been taught for the last eight years by me in the M.Sc. in Tropical Animal Science and Production) contains 33% of them (the 30 species identified by Ojasti as being important). These are all important to Trinidad and Tobago and are as follows:

1. Iguana iguana (Green Iguana)

2. Caiman crocodiles (Alligator)

3. Cairina moschata (Muscovy Duck)

4. Dasypus novemcinctus (Amadillo/ Tattoo)

5. Felis pardalis (Ocelot)

6. Tayassu tajacu (Quenk/ Collared Peccary)

7. Mazama americana (Red Brocket Deer)

8. Hydrochaeris hydrochaeris (Capybara)

9. Agouti paca (Lappe)

10. Dasyprocta sp. (Agouti)

In addition to the above the course also contained the following:

1. Boa constrictors

2. Crabs

3. Edible frogs

Picture of a Red Brocket Deer

The following are some other important comments from Ojasti (1996):

"Most of the information now available is descriptive and/or anecdotal, based on the experiences, views or beliefs of hunters and campesinos, or on naturalists' accounts observations of animals in captivity, and so forth. The diffuse information is repeatedly cited but there is no way to check its origin and accuracy."

"The problem of Latin American Wildlife requires its own solutions, geared to the specific realities of the countries, the region and the type of user."