DeerLab

Conservation and management of Patagonia's natural treasures

About Us

DeerLab, a 20 year old ecological research consortium, specializes in wildlife management and conservation throughout Patagonia. Our team conducts research throughout the Andes and steppe on several wildlife species, specializing in capture of large mammals and conducting studies using the state-of-the-art radio telemetry and terrestrial and aerial surveys. We provide management consultation for conservation of private and public lands and have been instrumental in the creation of several protected areas in Argentina.

Mission

We are dedicated to the protection of Patagonia's natural resources with our main goal the recovery of native species that are diminishing at alarming rates. Saving wildlife and wild places of Patagonia is paramount to our work. To achieve this we use science, adaptive management tools, education, and community involvement.

Research and management emphasis

Our team specializes in the study and management of wildlife ecology, pathology and conservation biology. Our research, stemming from an integrated ecological and wildlife management approach, involves evaluating reproductive condition, population dynamics, nutritional and behavioral ecology, habitat use, health and disease, deficiency and toxicity of micronutrients and consequential impact on herbivores, impacts and management of exotics, interspecific interactions, genetic sampling and makeup, predator-prey interactions, and GIS mapping. We apply the results of our research on populations of exotic and threatened native cervids towards designing conservation strategies that integrate an adaptive management approach for sustaining ecosystem biodiversity. Our extensive experience includes successful reintroductions of wild cervids. One of our central goals from the inception of DeerLab has been to work towards recovery of the endangered huemul deer.

Research Collections

An objective of Deerlab is to continue assembling a government-approved data bank based on various tissues from dead huemul, including bones and preserved soft tissues.

Publications

Many of our +100 publications can be downloaded.

Team

Jo Anne M. Smith-Flueck, Ph.D., M.Sc., B.Sc., Certified Wildlife Biologist®,
Laboratorio de Teriogenología, Universidad Nacional del Comahue - Argentina. IUCN Deer Specialist Group, IUCN Captive Breeding Specialist Group, Species Survival Commission

Werner T. Flueck, Ph.D, B.Sc., Certified Wildlife Biologist®, National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET)- Argentina, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute - University Basel, IUCN Deer Specialist Group, IUCN Captive Breeding Specialist Group, IUCN Invasive Species Group, Species Survival Commission

Adrian Monjeau, Ph.D. Licenciatura Biology, National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET) and Fundación Balseiro - Argentina

Susi Leiva, M.Sc., Licenciatura BioChemistry

Melina E. Zuliani. Doctoral Candidate. Universidad Nacional del Comahue - Argentina

Beat Fuchs

Mauro A. Elias, Fundación Shoonem

Lucrecia Piccarreta

Daniel Santos