Tola Oni

Olutolani Smith has now left ZSL.

Curriculum Vitae:

• 2008–2012: PhD student, Imperial College London and Institute of Zoology.
• 2005-2006: Veterinary field assistant, Jambi Tiger Project, Zoological Society of London.
• 2005: Veterinary assistant, Thai Society for the Conservation of Wild Animals, Thailand.
• 2003-2004: MSc Wild Animal Health, Royal Veterinary College and Zoological Society of London.
• 2000-2008: Veterinary Surgeon in general practice.
• 1996-1997: BA Zoology, Cambridge University.
• 1994-2000: VetMB, Cambridge University Veterinary School.
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Research Interests:

Indonesia has been identified as one of the key areas to target efforts to increase tiger numbers in the next 10 years. Large-scale detection/non-detection surveys and monitoring methods are being developed in order to identify the distribution of tigers, prey species and the associated anthropogenic threats across Sumatra. Data is being collected on tiger sign, prey species, habitat and indicators of human activity in order to examine the impact of human disturbance and habitat type on the distributions of Sumatran tigers. Field teams have also been collecting and storing faecal samples for genetic analysis.

The aims of my PhD are to use genetic and statistical analysis to provide estimates of population size and structure, movement between subpopulations and patterns of regional variation for the Sumatran tiger.

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Publications:

O. Oni, K. Sujit, S. Kasemsuwan, T. Sakpuraram & D. U. Pfeiffer (2007) Seroprevalence of Leptospirosis in domesticated Asian elephants (Elaphas maximus) in north and west Thailand, 2004. Veterinary Record 160:368-371.

O. Oni, W. Wajjwalku, O. Boode & W. Chumsing (2006) Canine distemper virus antibodies in the Asian elephant (Elaphas maximus). Veterinary Record 159:420-421.
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Links:

http://www.bio-demography.org/tola.html
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Supervisors:

I am jointly supervised by Tim Coulson (Imperial College), Chris Carbone and Jinliang Wang (Institute of Zoology).
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Funding:

I am funded by a NERC/CASE studentship.
Panthera/Kaplan Graduate Award.
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Collaborators:

I have received in-country support from the Department of Forestry, Ministry for Research and Technology, and the Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology in Indonesia. I have also been working closely with staff from Kerinci Seblat, Way Kambas and Sembilang national parks in Sumatra, with the co-operation of field staff from the Wildlife Conservation Society Indonesia Program, Zoological Society of London, Flora & Fauna International, WWF, Taman Safari Indonesia and PT Andalas Merapi Timber. Support for dog training was provided by Richard Clarke from the Barking Mad Dog Training School.