WSFR Professor John Carroll and several students launched an important wildlife research project in the Republic of Georgia in April 2005.

Through a grant from the National Academies of Science and Engineering, Dr. Carroll initiated the first wide-scale assessment of the Georgian pheasant population since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The pheasant once was an important game bird in Georgia as well as an enduring symbol of national culture. Conservation concerns have arisen recently as pheasant populations and distributions have dwindled.

Undergraduate wildlife students Mandi McElroy, Kate Spear, Theron Menken, Ty Brooks, and David Duncan were chosen to participate in this project along with wildlife ecology Ph.D. candidate Brant Faircloth, who served as Dr. Carroll’s research assistant. The students conducted a variety of surveys in the Alazani River valley in eastern Georgia near the country’s borders with Azerbaijan and Chechnya. In addition to locating small populations of pheasants, students also studied songbird and reptile populations. They observed a variety of wildlife species, including European wolves, wild cats, Imperial Eagles and Demoiselle Cranes, as well as Eurasian brown bear tracks found near their camp.

The group was well indoctrinated into Georgian culture, experiencing a variety of social customs and the rich tradition of food, drink, and generous hospitality. Opportunities to travel with native Georgians throughout the countryside and to the capital city of Tbilisi gave students the chance to learn more about the history of the country and the kindness of its people. This unique academic opportunity provided the students not only valuable wildlife research experience, but an enriched perception of the world as well.