April 2013: Year of the Snake Man Returns

David Manning was back from his travels just in time to see in 2013, Year of the Snake.

His trip, funded by the Churchill Fellowship Trust, allowed him to conduct snake-related research in South Africa, Botswana and the USA over a period of 6 weeks.

“Catching and measuring Cape Cobras and Puff Adders during my 2 week reptile safari in the Western Cape was a huge learning curve for me, and attending a snake handling and safety course in Botswana, amongst rhino, zebra and antelope, is what dreams are made of. In the US I had the opportunity to visit world-class reptile-keeping facilities and venom laboratories to see how both the animals and staff are looked after.

My travels gave me the chance to meet and work with leading reptile ecologists and see up close the challenges that face those working with these enigmatic creatures. I was also able to oversee and become involved in the educational programs offered to the public at several locations, allowing me to reflect upon and hopefully improve those offered back here in Australia.

From school visits to the vast resource industry in WA, with increased education I am certain we can all live with and understand snakes and other wildlife, achieving a better and safer outcome for both us and them”.

• Read David’s full Churchill Fellowship Report (1.7MB PDF doc).
• Visit The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust website.

July 2012: Research Award for David Manning

Research Award for David Manning of Animal Ark
Churchill Fellow 2012
Striving for excellence

We are very excited to announce that David Manning of Animal Ark has been awarded a prestigious Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Fellowship.

This means that David is able to travel abroad with this fully funded fellowship allowing him to gain extra experience in his area of expertise and return with great benefits for both Animal Ark and the wider Australian community.

The official project title is: Investigation and comparison of Snake Management Techniques, Tools, First Aid and educational programmes.

David will be travelling to Cape Town for a specialist reptile safari and then onto Johannesburg, meeting snake handling experts. If planning and time permit, he will visit Kenya for an international snake bite seminar. The next leg of his journey will take him to the USA, firstly to Orlando Florida to visit a leading venom laboratory, and then on to Los Angeles California for further wildlife handling training.

We hope to keep you informed on the progress of this exciting trip.

Our school and corporate workshops and training courses will be greatly improved as a result of this fantastic travelling opportunity. We are very grateful for this amazing opportunity offered to David by the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust.