event-author-img-1

Posted by : sanne

Earlier this year I announced my stepping back from the position of president of the ESF or how I prefer to say ESF chair.January 2016 this will be a fact. Laurens Woldring will be chair of the European studbook Foundation.A number of changes were announced as well in earlier newsletters.

The online registration will be operational January 2016 and will replace the old registration forms on the ESF website that had to be filled out and sent to the studbook keeper as an attachment.With this online registration the ESF creates a huge data base of several thousands of registered animals. And I emphasize this once more; registration will guarantee the privacy of the studbook participants.

This month instructions will be made available on the ESF website by Tim Visser of the Sacrome company.Next to the basic studbook keeping, the registration of animals, some studbooks now focus on genetic screening of their studbook population by making advantage of the recently made available DNA sampling of individual animals.

The Testudo graeca studbook was the first studbook that used these possibilities already in the 90ties.

Over the past few years also the studbooks of Geoclemmys hamiltoni and Heosemys grandis followed the T. graeca example.Some studbooks seek co operation with in situ partners of their species. The Homopus Research Foundation and her coordinated Homopus ssp studbooks are a very good example in this. At this page I speak the expectation that with these new developments the ESF will move forward to more professional direction. In order to achieve this two ESF studbook keepers will attend the EAZA 3 ½ days basic breeding management course at the EAZA academy in Amsterdam. With this a further step is taken into a more professional direction and co operation with EAZA institutions are getting closer.

Secretary Harry Rotmans also had announced his “retirement” in the course of 2016. A successor has to be found and from here I take the opportunity to seriously consider all readers to think about applying to this job. The ESF is an organization that is taken more and more seriously by global conservation organizations and governmental authorities.

I will continue my studbooks for Cuora mccordi, Testudo kleinmanni, Testudo graeca and Indotestudo elongata as well as some co studbook keeper positions. For I. elongata assistance is already offered regarding studbook registration work. And of course I will support Laurens as much as I can on his request.

I predict a prosperous future for the ESF and it was a privilege being part of it for so many years.

Henk Zwartepoorte, president ESF.