STSM in progress; article disposition drafted

Since Monday this week I have been working with Mia Fernyhough as part of a Short-Term Scientific Mission that involves her research visit hosted by me at University of Stavanger. Along with three further collaborators we are working on a scientific article on the ethics of laying hen genetics. Today we completed a disposition.

To host Short-Term Scientific Mission in February

Pending official approval from a COST action, I am in the process of scheduling to receive a research visit in February 2018 where the visiting scholar and myself will work on an article on the ethics of laying hen breeding.

Research visit to Tangen zoo scheduled

I have agreed with Runar Næss, director of Tangen zoo (formerly Amadeus zoo), and fellow researcher/biosemiotician Laura Kiiroja, that I will be visiting Tangen zoo March 9-11. The zoo holds socialized foxes, among other animals. The research visit will be conducted within the research project "Animals in changing environments: Cultural mediation and semiotic analysis", more specifically within the case study "Agencies and Conflicts of Interest in Zoological Gardens as an Environment for Mediated Communication".

Field trips and research stays scheduled

This week I have arranged tickets for all remaining field trips and research visits that I have been planning. These are:

FIELD TRIP: Hedmark (Rendalen + Stor-Elvdal municipalities), October 29th - November 2nd
RESEARCH VISIT: Oslo II, November 10th-12th
RESEARCH VISIT: Trondheim, November 15th-17th

I was hoping to visit Namsskogan Familiepark (the fourth place in Norway that houses captive wolves) as well, but unfortunately there is no time for it, - since it was not included in my original plans, it cannot be made a priority right now.

Even with "only" these three remaining trips (on top of my 7-day visit to Tartu late November), I will spend approximately 60 hours on trains and train stations the next 5-6 weeks, and travel approximately 1200 + 700 + 1600 = 3500 km (plus 2800 km Kristiansand-Oslo-Tallinn-Tartu and back, a total of 6300 km, which pretty exactly corresponds to the distance from here on Earth's surface to its center).

Brief report from research visit/Oslo I

Earlier this week, Mon 11 - Wed 13, I conducted my first research visit to Oslo (cf. recent plans). Activities included:

* meeting with wolf-socializer Runar Næss
* meeting with statistician Espen Søbye
* research at the library of Statistics Norway, the National Library of Norway and the library of the Norwegian parliament

In the process I gathered quite a lot of more or less historical material on Norwegian wolf legislation etc., some of it dating back to 1845. Both encounters as well proved to be very informative.

Research visit: Oslo I

Monday to Wednesday October 11th-13th I'll conduct my first comprehensive research visit to Oslo (not counting my first brief visit in this respect to the National Library in May).

Plans for the 3-day visit include:
* research in the library of Statistics Norway
* research in the National Library of Norway
* and not least a meeting with Runar Næss (the man behind Animal Zoolution) - who is of great interest to me due to (a) his experience with socializing wolves and (b) his role as the founder of the pro-wolf activist organization/network Alpha-gruppen.

At a second research visit to Oslo, in November, I intend to meet with a number of relevant scholars and researchers.

Tartu brochure online

The testemonial I have written for the University of Tartu (Tartu Ülikool) has so far been online on http://www.ut.ee/ under the heading "Degree Programmes Taught in English – University of Tartu" (NB! Testemonials rotating).

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Now the 4 page brochure in which it appears - about Ph.D. degree studies, and short-term research visits - is also online. The nationality of the three other Ph.D. students featuring with testemonials is Romanian, Latvian and Chinese, respectively.

Wolf pics 1

This is not a wolf. The head looks like a wolverine - but the body more like a fat fox...

My first picture of the socialized wolves in Polar Zoo. I am inside of the enclosure.

Man and wolf.

Up North

Today I arrived in Polar Zoo, in Bardu municipality, Norway. At 68,5 degrees North, it is the Northernmost zoological garden in the world. At the moment it is -6 degrees Celsius, but yesterday it was raining - and last week temperatures were at winter lows of -31.

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Polar Zoo has kept wolves since its start in 1994. There's currently 6 wolves here - 4 of them socialized (the alpha male - their father, and one of the two shy wolves - is 10 years old, and was born in the zoo). I will meet them all tomorrow (and until Thursday). Plus the brown bear cubs Salt (female) and Pepper (male).

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This afternoon I have been talking with the staff (3 permanently here (of which I have met 2), and an additional 2 visiting at the moment). Bear trainers and the like. A lot of information to digest.