Arizona Update: Tribal Wildlife Biologist Training

The Arizona Game and Fish Department in collaboration with the USDA APHIS Wildlife Services, Arizona Department of Agriculture, Midwestern University, Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center, and Native Healing LLC hosted a Wildlife Disease Investigation Workshop for tribal biologists. The workshop was funded by a grant from the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The workshop was held on May 23 and 24, 2024, at the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s Regional Office in Flagstaff, Arizona.  Approximately 20 tribal wildlife biologists and wildlife specialists participated in the training.  Tribes and tribal organizations sending representatives to the training included the Colorado River Indian Tribes, Gila River Indian Community, Hualapai Tribe, the Native American Fish and Wildlife Society, Navajo Nation,  Salt River Pima–Maricopa Indian Community, and the White Mountain Apache Tribe.  The two day workshop was a scenario based learning on outbreak detection, personnel safety, necropsies, specimen collection, and testing at diagnostic laboratories.  Wildlife Services provided instructors for the training and overviews on rabies collections.