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The International Tracking Symposium 28-30 March 2025

This event will be a live event held in The Netherlands we hope to see you there

Details of the February 2024 online Symposium and its speakers can be found below

See below speakers for the third International Tracking Symposium scheduled for the 17th and 18th of February 2024

  • Sören Decraene (Sweden) – Bird bones and skulls
  • Paul Wernicke (Germany) – Wolf stories from Brandenburg
  • Dan Puplett: (Scotland) – Feather identification and interpretation
  • Francis Collie (France) – Périgord Pistage – creating your own local trackers intervention group
  • Oded Davidovich (Israel) – Trailing in different substrates
  • Sylvia Meise (Germany) – The Beauty of Tracks & Signs or the Art in Tracking
  • Asaf Ben David (Israel) – Reptile tracks and locomotion
  • David Wege (UK) – Tracking at the frontier of our knowledge – reflections from tracking in Mongolia
  • Lee Gutteridge and Kersey Lawrence (USA/South Africa) – Similarities of tracking (identification and trailing) across the world 
  • Bob Cowley (UK) – “The truth is out there” – Track & Sign investigations can reveal unexpected aspects of ecology.
  • Robin Rigg (Slovakia) – “Combining traditional tracking skills with hi-tech (DNA etc.)”
  • Kim Cabrera (USA) – Scent marking in mammals
  • Frank Holmes (UK) – The Application of using dogs in Tracking
  • Richard Andrews (UK) – Recognising tracking within the ecology profession: a UK perspective.”
  • George Bumann (USA) – Tracking Nature by Ear: Enjoy extraordinary animal encounters by activating an under-used sense.
  • Larissa Slaney – (Scotland) Tracking for Research
  • Diemer Vercayie (Belgium) – Tracking or cameratraps? Recognition of tracking skills in modern ecological studies in Belgium
  • Richard Andrews (UK) – Tracking from the perspective of a professional Ecological Consultant 
  • Drs. Zoe Jewell and Sky Alibhai US: Tiny Tracks with a Huge Impact: Monitoring small mammals using trackplates
  • Colin Patrick (South Africa): Tracking into the future:

We think it is vital that we build a community of trackers across our region.

John Rhyder & Rene Nauta

ITS 2024

This year we have a full two days, a packed event of lectures and discussions from leading wildlife trackers and naturalists from several tracking related disciplines. It will be delivered in English and all will be online and available for three months after the event.

    Sören Decraene

    Sören Decraene

    Sören Decraene: moved from Belgium to Sweden in 2021, passionate about nature photography/filming and animal tracking (Level 4 T&S and level 2 Trailing), using the knowledge from tracking to get close to the animals I want to photograph.Working as a zoo- and wildlife veterinarian in Kolmården Zoo.

    Bird Bones an skulls: Intriguing to say the least, bones are a frequently asked question on Cybertracker evals.In this lecture I will be going over some specific bones and skulls in the birds body and describe how you can recognize them so that at the end of the lecture you will have gained the knowledge to determine bird bones you find on your tracking-walks! “

    Paul Wernicke

    Paul Wernicke

    Paul Wernicke: In 2011 I stumbled upon a large dog-like track for the first time and wanted to know if it was a wolf or a domestic dog. Since that day, my fascination with wolves has never left me. Their tracks and signs captivated me. It was the beginning of a long journey together through the vastness of the Hoher Fläming Nature Park. Endless questions, deep insights into their often hidden lives and an ever-growing connection to the wolves on my doorstep.

    Wolves divide our society like no other animal species, into people who love them and people who hate them and of course into people who use the facets that lie between these two extremes. Some hear the ancient “call of the wild”. Others feel their existence is threatened.
    Since 2012, my good friend Greg, I and many other tracker friends have been following the tracks of the wolves with the question of who these creatures really are?
    We observed how the animals make themselves at home in our densely populated cultural landscape, 150 years after they were deliberately exterminated by us humans.
    We primarily use the art of tracking. That means endless hours in the forest on a never-ending search for answers. website

    Wolf stories from Brandenberg: This lecture gives insights into our experiences and insights into, on the one hand, the alienation of humans from our Mother Earth and, on the other hand, the rediscovery of a friendship between humans and wolves that has lasted for thousands of years. It tells the story of how we became direct neighbours. In the end, one question keeps coming up: “Who is actually following whose footsteps?”

    Many photos, small videos and audio recordings document the journey together and turn assumptions into facts. Thanks to the Wolfes, we can continue to learn about them and all our other animal and plant neighbors, what the birds actually say about them and about ourselves. As individuals, as trackers and wilderness educators and as part of a (seemingly) highly developed European industrial state in the 21st century.
    Dan Puplett

    Dan Puplett

    Dan Puplett is a freelance naturalist, conservationist and environmental educator. He has scored 100% (Level 4) in Track & Sign and is the author of the Field Studies Council British Bird Tracks & Signs chartand the new British Mammal Tracks & Signs chart. Dan teaches tracking and naturalist skills to a wide audience, including conservation professionals. He is a nature guide and has also contributed to a range of rewilding projects and tracking-based wildlife surveys. www.danpuplett.co.uk

    Feather Identification and Interpretation: Feathers are often encountered in many habitats, and they can provide valuable information to the tracker. In this presentation we will explore ways in which we can identify which bird the feather came from and recognise main feather types. We will also cover some tips for telling age, state of health and where relevant, possible cause of death.

    Francis Collie

    Francis Collie

    Francis Collie: Francis is a CT certified tracker living in the woods by the Valley of Mankind, Dordogne (France), famous for the multitude of its prehistoric rock-art caves. In 2014, he founds the French tracking association Je Suis La Piste to share his passion through workshops, games, books, festivals, radio and internet. He has also created local tracker group Périgord Pistage and is co-founder of national association France Pistage.

    Périgord Pistage creating your own local trackers intervention group:Périgord Pistage is an on-going attempt to give back to Tracking its social usefulness, on a local scale.  Launched in April 2022, discover our story, our achievements and the difficulties we encountered… in order to be able to launch your own local intervention group more smoothly , and why not keep connected on a broader supporting network.  Willing to put your investigative skills to good use ?

    Oded Davidovich

    Oded Davidovich

    Oded Davidovich: Has been practicing and teaching Tracking for more than 15 years in Israel, South Africa, Turkey and Belgium. He introduced both children and adults to tracking, and have trained professional trackers and field rangers. A professional tracker from the Cybertracker organization and a specialist in Track and Sign from SA.

    Oded regularly publish his experiences and adventures in the field in this page and on Instagram. ( currently based in Belgium).

    Trailing in different substrates: For me, trailing is an ongoing learning process; every time I’m out in the field I’m learning something new. Trailing can be very challenging and rewarding, there are a lot of variables that can influence the level of difficulty of the trail. One of them is the substrate we are trailing on. On this talk I will give a few insights about trailing in different areas: sand, leaf, grass and more.

    Sylvia Meise

    Sylvia Meise

    Sylvia Meise: Sylvia is a passionate tracker (since six years), photographer and writer. She does bird mapping and cares for one of ten peregrine breeding spots in Frankfurt. With tracking-courses for beginners she hands on knowledge and fascination for this basic cultural skill.

     
    The Beauty of Tracks & Signs or the Art in Tracking: With this talk I’ll share a playful kind of nature perception. Through the example of my rewarded Image “Crossroad” – for which I used earth and plants to color a photo of tracks – I highlight the creative aspect of tracking and the beauty of tracks. An invitation to look for the many enriching ways to bond with nature.
    Asaf Ben David

    Asaf Ben David

    Asaf Ben David: Ph.D. Student at the zoology school of Tel-Aviv university. A member of the Wild track research group. The author of the Israeli track and sings field guide and the founder of Makommifgash.org, the leading community of wildlife trackers in Israel. websitehttps://makommifgash.org

    Reptile tracks and locomotion: details to follow

    David Wege

    David Wege

    David Wege: David is a freelance nature educator. He is author and illustrator of Mammal Tracks of Europe (due February), and co-author of Bird Tracks: a field guide to British Species (with John Rhyder – due in April). David is passionate about nature, wildlife photography and animal tracking (Level 4 T&S and Level 3 Trailing), and teaches wildlife tracking to a broad audience including conservation and ecology professionals. A life-long birdwatcher, David has had a long career in international bird and biodiversity conservation. www.davidwegenature.uk

    Tracking at the frontier of our knowledge – reflections from tracking in Mongolia: Providing track and sign input on an expedition to western Mongolia last year was a learning experience for me that I’m excited to be able to share. I was faced with many new, unfamiliar animal species and greater diversity in some familiar groups, but there is no published tracking information for Mongolia which meant going back to first principles and testing how I could apply my existing knowledge from across Europe.

     

    Kersey Lawrence and Lee Gutteridge

    Kersey Lawrence and Lee Gutteridge

    Kersey Lawrence and Lee Gutteridge: Are both Senior Trackers and Evaluators with CyberTracker Conservation. Kersey is also the Director of Education and Research for Original Wisdom and Lee is the Owner and Principal Trainer for Nature Guide Training. They run guide training, tracking, education and research programs across the world. Kersey holds a doctorate from the University of Connecticut in the ecology of tracking and the culture of trackers. She combines quantitative and qualitative methods, incorporating local knowledge and skill into modern science to advance our wholistic understanding of the natural world. Lee is one of the most highly qualified guides, and guide trainers, in Africa, and is the author of ten natural history and tracking books. Graduates of his training school have gone on to work at or establish some of the most prestigious lodges in Africa. Kersey and Lee’s work takes them all over the world, with the majority of their focus on the African savannas and the forests of North America. There, they teach tracking experientially, and ensure that trackers meet the internationally recognized gold-standard set by CyberTracker. Together, they facilitate TrackerMentoring.com, an international online education company and published The Tracker Mentoring Manual. Through their passion for tracking, Kersey and Lee strive to inspire others to appreciate and protect the diverse beauty of our planet.

    Similarities of tracking (identification and trailing) across the world: Tracking includes track & sign identification, trailing, knowledge of animal behaviours, and recognition of aging processes. Kersey and Lee have spent years traveling back and forth between Africa and North America, with forays into Europe, India, South East Asia, South America, Indonesia, and Madagascar. While exact species and substrates can vary, there are remarkable similarities that help them to figure out what they are seeing, which they will describe here with examples.

    Bob Cowley

    Bob Cowley

    Bob Cowley: Bob believes that Track & Sign is the perfect way to reconnect people of all ages with the natural world around them. Beyond that, a good understanding of this skill is a particularly valuable asset for any professional ecologist, zoological researcher or student. As a result, Bob is passionate about spreading the awareness and knowledge of this ancient skill. So in addition to teaching a series of formal courses for the Mammal Society throughout the UK, Bob leads workshops and walks for a variety of other national and local organisations, and all age-groups from primary school to pensioners.

    The truth is out there: Track & Sign investigations can reveal unexpected aspects of ecology

    Robin Rigg

    Robin Rigg

    Robin Rigg

    Robin Rigg is a zoologist and conservationist focused on large carnivores. He is chairman of the Slovak Wildlife Society (hyperlink: http://slovakwildlife.org/) and a member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Large Carnivore Initiative for Europe https://www.lcie.org/ Robin uses tracking to monitor wolves, lynx, bears and other wildlife and achieved Level III in Track & Sign at the first CyberTracker evaluation event in Slovakia in 2013. He is currently working towards his doctorate at the University of Ljubljana.

    Tracking and genetic sampling: a perfect combination to monitor elusive wildlife

    Using wolves in Slovakia as an example, this presentation will demonstrate how systematic tracking can play a major role in research, monitoring and conservation. Robin will share the results of the White Wilderness programme (hyperlink: http://slovakwildlife.org/en/activities/whitewilderness), which trains volunteer ‘citizen scientists’ to help conduct non-invasive surveys of large carnivores and their prey. Participants learn how to identify and record tracks and to find and collect biological samples for DNA and other analyses which provide a sound evidence-base for wildlife management.

    https://www.facebook.com/robin.rigg.5/

    Kim Cabrera

    Kim Cabrera

    Kim Cabrera: Kim has been interested in wildlife and tracking since childhood. Her father showed her tracks, and she caught the tracking bug! Cabrera taught tracking to adults and children in her work with state parks. She has provided illustrations to several books on tracking, and wrote the first web site about animal tracks in 1997. She has two CyberTracker Track and Sign Specialist certifications, in desert and forest biomes. She has a Level II in Trailing. Cabrera is also certified in tracking lost people, at Tracker II level. She maintains several social media groups focused on tracking, with over 35,000 members. Outside of tracking, she enjoys photography and hiking. 
     
    Scent Marking in Mammals : Mammals scent mark for many reasons. It used to be thought that it was due to territorial behavior. But, there may be other reasons for mammals to deposit scent. It is likely that this type of communication has many functions in the animal world. What is known about scent communication? What functions does it serve? In this talk, I will look into the world of scent marking and give some examples from mammals in my region. I will show how some of these markings are visible to trackers.
    Frank Holmes

    Frank Holmes

    Frank Holmes: Frank retired from the British Army as the MoD Chief Dog Trainer. With 24 years of operational and training experience these skills are now being applied to the private sector to raise standards in the ever-increasing canine market. With a degree in canine behaviour & training he is able to present information that will ensure the student is prepared for training and operational duties.  His experience of delivering courses for soldiers in the army has proven invaluable in developing and delivering the LANTRA Conservation Handler course and development of the Detection Dog Trainer course
    The Application of using dogs in Tracking: 
    Richard Andrews

    Richard Andrews

    Richard Andrews:  Richard was one of the first professional ecologists in the UK to qualify as a Level 3 Tracker under the Cybertracker system. He has 30 years of professional environmental experience and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM). As an ecological consultant, he regularly undertakes surveys for protected species, with a particular interest in mammals. Richard was a co-author of the UK’s national guidance on water vole survey, assessment and impact mitigation, and has also had articles published on both water vole and badger fieldwork. His Anglo-American heritage means that he is fluent in both languages, and has therefore been able to translate when the likes of Mark, Nate and Brian come to the UK for evaluations.”
    Recognising tracking within the ecology profession, a UK perspective: Richards talk will examine tracking, and particularly the Cybertracker approach, from the perspective of a professional Ecological Consultant (and Level 3 Tracker) working in the UK. He will look at which standard ecological survey methods most obviously include elements of ‘tracking’ as we know it, how this might be extended, and where a fuller understanding of tracking can improve what professional ecological surveyors do. He will also discuss possible reasons why tracking, in its fullest sense, has been slow to become recognised as a valuable practice for professional ecologists in the UK.”
    George Bumann

    George Bumann

    George Bumann: George is an artist and educator living at the north entrance to Yellowstone National Park with his wife, son and black Labrador. George spent much of his life as a hunter, trapper, angler, and researcher; he has observed and studied wildlife on four continents. George earned degrees in wildlife ecology studying the diets of eastern coyotes in the Adirondack Park of northern New York State and the predator prey interactions of the ruffed grouse across the Appalachian Mountains of the eastern United States with a focus on reading field sign to assess causes of death for birds and their eggs. He has been guiding and teaching in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem for over two decades on a range of art and ecology topics, and has gained a reputation through the use of his award-winning animal impersonations. This will be George’s first presentation for the ITP (International Tracking Symposium) on the topic of tracking through the use of sound. George is expecting the release of his first book with Greystone Press — “Eavesdropping on Animals: What we can learn from listening to wildlife conversations” — in the fall of 2024.Tracking Nature by Ear: Enjoy extraordinary animal encounters by activating an under-used sense.”

    Tracking Nature by Ear: Enjoy extraordinary animal encounters by activating an under-used sense Discover how the sounds and behaviors of some of the most common animals can reveal some of the most elusive ones hiding in plain sight. The program will feature a case study built upon decades of field time and teaching in Yellowstone National Park. Join me as we activate a lesser-used sense — that of hearing — for better tracking and finding amazing wildlife encounters anywhere you live or travel.

     

    Larissa Slaney

    Larissa Slaney

    Larissa Slaney: Larissa is a founding member of the WildTrack Specialist Group, which specialises in the use of non-invasive methods for wildlife monitoring. She is currently a PhD candidate and works on cheetah footprint analysis at Heriot-Watt University in Scotland, U.K where she runs the @FitCheetahs research project. She has also been involved in otter footprint research, which was published in 2022. In addition, Larissa develops science workshops and has worked internationally as a science communicator. Her interests are in non-invasive wildlife monitoring, education and traditional tracking. She is CT certified at level 2 in Track & Sign.

    Tracking for Research:

    Tracking is as old as humanity and Louis Liebenberg has even described it as the origin of science. But is tracking getting the place it deserves in modern research? To what extent is tracking being used and what else does it have to offer? Should indigenous and modern trackers get more involved in academic research and in conservation projects? How could we make this collaboration work?

    This talk aims to give an insight into the current status quo and is an invitation to brainstorm together for the future of tracking in research.

    Social media handles:

    Facebook: Fit Cheetahs, WildTrack

    Instagram: fitcheetahs, wildtrackfit

    Diemer Vercayie:

    Diemer Vercayie:

    Diemer Vercayie: biologist and philosopher by education, works as a mammal expert and policy officer at Natuurpunt, the largest nature conservation organization in Flanders, Belgium. He is (amongst other things) co-founder of the Wolf Fencing Team Belgium which plays a important role in enabling peaceful coexistence between humans and wolves. Diemer is passionate about tracking and the application of it in science and ecological monitoring. In 2013 he wrote ‘Wild van sporen’, a guide with mammal footprints at full size on transparant plastic pages, originally intended to train volunteers in using tracking for ecological studies. Since many years Diemer hosts the Cyber Tracker evaluations in Flanders, which recently led to the recognition of tracking skills in government issued monitoring studies.

    Tracking or camera traps? Recognition of tracking skills in modern ecological studies. In the ‘tracker community’ we all know how even a single field visit by a skilled tracker can result in loads of information on species presence and behaviour. But up till recently there was an (understandable) lack of recognition in science for this skill. Diemer will bring an example from Belgium how Cyber Tracker evaluations led to the recognition of tracking in government issued monitoring studies of wildlife passages. He will compare results from the tracking and conventional cameratrap monitoring on the ecoduct ‘Kempengrens’ in 2022. What is the added value of tracking and what does the future of tracking in official ecological studies look like?

    Social media accounts

    https://www.facebook.com/diemer.vercayie

    https://www.instagram.com/diemer839/

    https://twitter.com/DiemerVercayie

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/diemer-vercayie-he-him-4979a821/?originalSubdomain=be

    Drs. Zoe Jewell and Sky Alibhai

    Drs. Zoe Jewell and Sky Alibhai

    Drs. Zoe Jewell and Sky Alibhai: Zoe and Sky co-founded WildTrack (wildtrack.org) in 2011 to address a widespread need for less invasive and more cost-effective tools to monitor endangered species

    WildTrack’s multi-award-winning footprint identification technology (FIT) research, based on traditional tracking skills, has now been published for species ranging from black rhino to Polar bear and mountain lion. This approach works in close collaboration with conservation efforts to engage local communities and particularly those with expert tracking skills. WildTrack is now developing an AI pipeline to accelerate the delivery of key data to conservation decision-makers. Jewell and Alibhai are Adjunct Faculty at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment and Associate Academics at the Centre for Compassionate Conservation of the University of Technology in Sydney, Australia.

    Tiny Tracks with a Huge Impact: Monitoring small mammals using trackplates: What exactly is a small mammal? Definitions range from any mammal species weighing up to 5 kg to the narrower definition of rodents, shrews and sengis. However you define them, small mammals occupy that critical middle ground in the food chain, being dependent on plants and insects, and being a primary food source for so much fauna in the higher trophic levels. As such they could be key indicators of environmental health.

    However, monitoring this group to inform on environmental health is challenging. Current methods are expensive, invasive and labor intensive – requiring experts to visually inspect and identify each animal captured.

    Here we report on a new ethical, non-invasive and cost-effective approach to small mammal monitoring using a combination of an old technique – trackplates – with footprint identification technology (FIT) analytics. We’ll share how this enables us to identify small mammal species, and demonstrate some unexpected and interesting initial results. As always, we’ll share opportunities for expert trackers to help in developing this work.

    WildTrack Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WildTrackFIT/

    WildTrack Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wildtrackfit/

    Colin Patrick

    Colin Patrick

    Colin Patrick: Colin has been working in the conservation industry for more than 30 years and is involved in the training and evaluation of both animal trackers and tactical man trackers across Africa.  He is a cybertracker master tracker and external evaluator. His current focus is the development and advancement of tactical tracking teams in  antipoaching operations conducted during daylight aswell as at night and with the use of k9 .

    Tracking into the future: Pushing the limits of trailing animals by using techniques and methods learned in the tactical man tracking process to inhance a person’s trailing ability and provide more trailing opportunities.

    Rene Nauta

    Rene Nauta

    Both Rene and John will be hosting this years event and possibly answering questions as part of the expert panel on the last day

    John Rhyder

    John Rhyder

    Both Rene and John will be hosting this years event and possibly answering questions as part of the expert panel on the last day

Global Standard in Wildlife Tracking

European Wildlife Tracking is part of the CyberTracker global organisation, which started in Africa to validate trackers & tracking.