Aust Vet J Vol 77, No 5, May 1999284

News

Galapagos Islands vets tour

Australian veterinarians who wouldlike to be invo l ved in an educa-tional field trip to experience

n a t u re on the Galapagos Islands are invit-ed to join a group of up to 25 pro f e s s i o n-als heading there this De c e m b e r. The ve t-e r i n a ry delegation, organised under theauspices of the People to Pe o p l eAmbassadors Program, will be led by DrTony English, of the Un i versity ofSyd n e y’s Faculty of Ve t e r i n a ry Science. DrEnglish has previously led similar tours toChina (1994), Nepal (1995) andBh u t a n / Nepal (1997), that gave a total ofa round 80 Australian vets direct experi-ences “way beyond what normal touristse n c o u n t e r”. This ye a r’s tour will officiallys t a rt in Quito, Ecuador (5 De c e m b e r )with three days of professional and cul-tural activities, including discussions withthe En v i ronmental Mi n i s t ry, Na t u reC o n s e rva n c y, Ecuador and W W F -Ec u a d o r. The group will leave by chart e rboat on 9 December for the Ga l a p a g o sIslands, to spend several days exploringthe Islands, the Charles Da rwin Re s e a rc hStation and the Galapagos Is l a n d sNational Pa rk. They will return to Qu i t oon 13 December before heading forhome - or other destinations - on 14De c e m b e r. The main aim is to closely

study current methods of conserving thewildlife on the isolated Islands - with ad e g ree of access which is denied to normaltourists. Dr English told the AVJ this touris limited to 25 people because of thecapacity limitations of the charter boat -his earlier adve n t u res invo l ved as many as40 people, half Australians and half fro mother nations. The People to Pe o p l eAmbassadors Program was started in theUS during the term of the late Pre s i d e n tEi s e n h owe r, as a means of encouraging

p rofessionals to travel the world to meettheir counterparts, exchange ideas ands h a re new experiences, he said. The So u t hAmerican component of the tour will cost$US4695 per head and all in the part ywill be responsible for their own fares toand from Ec u a d o r. Dr English said thecost of the trip is tax deductible. De t a i l s :Tony English Tel) (02) 9351 1675 ora n t h o n ye @ c a m d e n . u s yd.edu.au ORMa rcia Hillestad from People to People atMa rc i a H @ a m b a s s d o r s . c o m

Nepal delegation 97 - hand reared rhino in Royal Chitwan.

The AVA’s Be n e volent Trust provided financial and other formsof assistance to 16 vets or their families in six States during

1998. A total of $19,205 was spent in providing emergency helpand gifts. Those supported ranged from veterinarians undergoingrehabilitation after serious illness or accidents to ve t e r i n a ry widow swith dependent children. Sp read among the assisted families we re13 young people still at school or unive r s i t y. Ap a rt from prov i d i n gm o n e y, the Trust arranges for families in need to re c e i ve advice orp rofessional counselling concerning their specific pro b l e m s .Established in 1975, the AVA Be n e volent Trust has grown to the

point where its accumulated funds had reached $163,289.39 byOctober 31 last ye a r. During the year to October 31 it gained$12,549 from donations and another $16,746.21 in interest earnedon its investments, a total of $29,295.21. This left $8341.52 to beadded to the Tru s t’s re s e rves after all assistance and operating costs($1748.69) had been cove red. The Tru s t’s work is heavily reliant ondonations from the AVA, Divisions, SIGs, Branches, Au x i l i a ry andindividual vets. A major event for the Trust came with the re t i re-ment in December of Dr Bob Ta y l o r, who had been a Trustee andSe c re t a ry of the fund since its inception.

AV E RT at Hobart

Australian Veterinarians in Ethics, Re s e a rch and Teaching (AV E RT), is one of the AVA’s official SIGs. It provides a network of pro f e s s i o n a lveterinarians invo l ved in Animal Facility Management, Laboratory Animal Consultancy, Animal We l f a re, Animal Ethics Committees,

Clinical Practice and Re s e a rch who can quickly offer advice to other vets on animal ethics issues. This service could prove ve ry useful to AVAmembers asked to serve on an animal ethics committee - or called upon to provide clinical services for re s e a rch animals - by ensuring that theirp a rticipation in such an unfamiliar activity is seen to be fully competent and professional. AV E RT has arranged a two-day program at the AVAC o n f e rence in Ho b a rt (20-21 May). It will offer a range of presentations on the ethics of the use, care and treatment of animals. Topics include:assessment of animal well being; the differences between clinic and re s e a rch animals as patients; working on an animal ethics committee; the useof wildlife in re s e a rch; antarctic animal re s e a rch; and genetic manipulation and screening. This is a great networking opport u n i t y. For furt h e rinformation, contact Dr St e ve Atkinson, Tel) 02 6773 2329 or Dr Ma ry Bate, Tel) 02 4921 7086. AV E RT’s annual membership fee is $25.00

1998 Benevolent Trust Report