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Leibniz-IZW condemns Russia's attack on Ukraine

The Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research strongly condemns Russia's attack on Ukraine. The Leibniz-IZW employs Ukrainian scientists, is very concerned about our scientific colleagues in Ukraine and will support scientists in Ukraine to the best of our ability.

The Leibniz-IZW is an internationally renowned German research institute. It is part of the Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V. and a member of the Leibniz Association. Our goal is to understand the adaptability of wildlife in the context of global change and to contribute to the enhancement of the survival of viable wildlife populations. For this purpose, we investigate the diversity of life histories, the mechanisms of evolutionary adaptations and their limits, including diseases, as well as the interrelations of wildlife with their environment and people. We use expertise from biology and veterinary medicine in an interdisciplinary approach to conduct fundamental and applied research – from the molecular to the landscape level – in close dialogue with the public and stakeholders. Additionally, we are committed to unique and high-quality services for the scientific community.

+++ Current information on African swine fever: The Leibniz-IZW conducts research on the population dynamics, on models of disease outbreaks in wild boars and on the ecology and human-wildlife interaction in urban areas. African swine fever is a reportable disease in domestic swine and therefor is the purview of the respective federal state laboratories and the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (Federal Research Institute for Animal Health) FLI. +++

News

23.01.2015 12:16

Flat-headed cat (Prionailurus planiceps); Authors: Wilting, Mohamed/ Sabah Wildlife Depatment, Sabah Forestry Department — Flat-headed cat; Photo: Wilting, Mohamed/ Sabah Wildlife Depatment, Sabah Forestry Department

As trees are cut and climates shift, can the animals of Borneo be saved?

Despite the fact that many of Borneo’s rare species are in trouble new research published in the journal Current Biology shows that by using targeted conservation measures many of these species could be saved.

23.01.2015 11:07

A young brown rat (Rattus norvegicus). Testes and white blood cells shown. Photo: IZW/Jundong Tian — A young brown rat (Rattus norvegicus). Photo: IZW/Jundong Tian

Sexually-transmitted diseases: do multiple partners mean more immunity?

It has been assumed that the increased transmission of sexually-transmitted diseases in the case of mating promiscuity is influential in shaping the immune system of mammals. Results published in the scientific journal “Functional Ecology” this week demonstrate that this simple idea does not apply to rodents, and that living circumstances and the environment can be a key factor in determining variation in immune investment among mammals.

06.01.2015 15:24

Orang-Utan: Dr Erik Meijaard of Borneo Futures, Jakarta

New hope for Borneo’s orang-utans despite climate change and deforestation threats

New conservation research has discovered that up to 74% of current orang-utan habitat in Borneo could become unsuitable for this endangered species due to 21^st century climate or land-cover changes.

08.12.2014 01:00

Caption see below press release. Photo: Thomas Hackmann

Leopard complex spotting and congenital night blindness – ancient horse DNA reveals human breeding preferences

Over the millennia people have repeatedly changed the coat patterns and colours of domestic animals through selective breeding. In particular, leopard complex spotting in horses has been repeatedly a favourite pattern since the beginning of domestication about 5500 years ago, as an international team of scientists has now been able to demonstrate. The study emphasises how changing fashions and repeated cross-breeding of wild and domestic horses have substantially enhanced the genetic diversity of the domestic horse. The results of the study have just been published in the renowned scientific journal Philosophical Transactions B of the Royal Society.

14.10.2014 11:19

Big foray in the „DNA pool”

Scientists from the IZW led by Alex Greenwood publish a simple way to retrieve small genomes from a mix of various organisms.

Read more … Big foray in the „DNA pool”

27.08.2014 21:00

Blood collection of a free-ranging cheetah on Namibian farmland for stable isotope analyses. Photo: G. Czirjak/IZW

Cheetah menu: wildlife instead of cattle

Scientists from the German Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) can give the all-clear: in a recent study they showed that cheetahs primarily prefer wildlife on their menu. The cheetah is a vulnerable species that only exists on Namibia’s commercial farmland in large populations. Here, local farmers see cheetahs as a potential threat for their cattle.

25.08.2014 14:08

Cationic synthetic peptides: assessment of their antimicrobial potency in liquid preserved boar semen. Photo: IFN Schoenow e.V.

It does not always need to be antibiotics: healthy pig breeding

Scientists found a way to reduce the application of antibiotics in pig breeding by using antimicrobial peptides. The results of the study have just been published in the scientific online-journal PLOS ONE.

19.08.2014 11:11

Catching device for bats in Pape, Latvia. Photo: Oliver Lindecke

The world’s first bat net for migrating bats is launched in Latvia

The worldwide largest funnel trap designed for the purpose of studying migratory bats will opened at the ornithological field station in Pape, Latvia, on August 19, 2014. At the same time, an ambitious international research project on the biology of migratory bats will be started. The project is expected to provide some key answers to many unsolved questions concerning flight paths, hibernation areas and metabolism of these ecologically valuable mammals.