Dr Mike Hudson

Mike Hudson is a Durrell-IoZ Conservation Research Fellow at Durrell and ZSL. Mike works predominantly on amphibian conservation with a focus on infectious disease and the monitoring of wild animal populations. He also provides scientific support to Durrell's wider conservation science programme.

Mike is the Scientific Lead for this project. Mike was responsible for designing the experiment, informed by his previous research on seasonal variation in disease impact during experimental reintroductions of the mountain chicken.

Mike conducted his PhD on the conservation management of the mountain chicken frog with Durrell, ZSL and Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, University of Kent. Mike's work on the mountain chicken has included two world's first conservation interventions. The first was a field based individual anti-fungal treatment during the disease epidemic which was successful in the short-term but did not provide long-term protection. This trial was interrupted a volcanic eruption and when the team returned to the island, the species had declined to near-extinction. The second a series of experimental reintroductions of captive-bred mountain chickens back to Montserrat in the face of endemic chytrid infection in reservoir species. This project showed a strong seasonal variation in the continued impact of chytridiomycosis and is the basis for the design of the current project.

Mike has worked across Durrell's science programme with a continued involvement in conservation research in India, Madagascar, Mauritius and across the Caribbean. This work involves amphibians, birds, mammals and reptiles.

July 2018