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SAVA Project Manager Visits Duke/DLC
P A G E 3
V O L . 2 , N O . 2
As most of you are already
aware, the SAVA Conservation
project has a grand total of two
permanent
staff
members
in
Madagascar – project director Dr.
Erik Patel and project manager Lanto
Andrianandrasana. Although Erik has
been to DLC numerous times, Lanto
had not yet visited the organization
for which he works. That is, until this
past May! Thanks to a grant from
the new Duke Africa Initiative (DAI),
we were able to host Lanto for his
first visit to the US, as one of
o Duke (the other two
were both from Zimbabwe, and had
different interests/career tracks).
Although Lanto had a few
responsibilities to DAI, the majority of his time was spent with us at DLC. It was extremely important for Lanto to
become acquainted with DLC, our objectives, and to meet the dedicated staff that make our varied programs here
work. He spent learning time with each DLC department, from veterinary to research to husbandry to education, and
was a welcome participant in special events such as DLC Alumni Weekend and the donor appreciation evening. Lanto
now has a much better understanding of DLC’s overall mission, and the loyal support that we have for the
conservation work that he and Erik
carry out in the SAVA region.
And just to be clear, we did not
miss the opportunity to introduce
Lanto to some of the non-work
related aspects of Americana and
North Carolina, such as bar-b-que,
baseball, and local music! What visit
to NC is complete without bar-b-que
and hush puppies?
We are extremely indebted to the
Duke Africa Initiative for making
Lanto’s visit possible from both a
f inanc ial
and
organi zat ional
perspective. Many thanks especially
to Anna Alcaro of DAI.
J U L Y 2 0 1 3
Lanto with new friend in a DLC natural habitat enclosure.
Photo by David Haring
DAI Scholars visit DLC. L to R: Lanto Andrianandrasana, Sithabile Tirivarombo,
Charlie Welch (DLC Conservation Coordinator), Oliver Nyambi.
Photo by David Haring
By Charlie Welch