I am highly skilled and dedicated professional with a strong background in wildlife care and a wide range of training in a Animal husbandry ,farming and Animal behaviour .i have a passion for working with wildlife and deep understanding of their unique needs and behaviours .with extensive knowledge and hands on experience ,I am committed to providing exceptional care and ensuring the well being of animals under my supervision.

My area of interest in primate behaviors, not only because I have a background in zoology and conservation but also as someone who spent most of my time with primates. Moreover, I have some skills related to people vs wildlife conflict around PAs. currently, I'm working as a research assistant in mountain gorilla behavior data collection at Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund | Rwanda.

As a promoter of culture and diversity, Gerald Nkusi is a travel ecopreneur with Adventure Afrika and founder of Home of Kigezi (a Museum of Living Culture and Natural History), Nkunga Eco Village, and the Food Forest Africa movement. His roots and home are in Kisoro, a part of the Kigezi region in Uganda. Starting as a waiter trading long nights of work for education at the famous Makerere University 2006 and a US Exchange Alumni-IVLP 2017, he has transformed into a local and global actor in the cultural heritage and conservation space. Gerald's Food Forest Africa movement is revolutionizing the use of small and waste spaces for food, health, education and environment to help counter food insecurity, poor nutrition, and the degradation of natural resources. 

 I am an Ecologist by training. My research interests have focused on : Relations between protected areas and local communities; Wildlife conservation; Community Building; Environmental governance ; Conflict management ; Climate change.

With experience in Marine Animal Rehab., Rescue and Research coupled with a nerdy love of data, data science and all things technology, my data collection software company, WatchSpotter is the cumulation of my life’s work. From the hallways of the Marine Animal Rehabilitation Center at the University of New England, my affinity for caring for marine animals was fostered and grew. Being tasked with the center’s life support systems and flow thru animal pools further opened my eyes to water quality, fecal coliforms, and bio-loads.  I was the primary research technician in a multiphase study: Protecting the Saco River: Tracking non-point fecal pollution to its species source. Upon leaving UNE, I traveled to the Southern Great Barrier Reef Australia to work on an international research team focusing on population dynamics for three cetacean species. Once back stateside, I sharpened my Software UX skills working as a software consultant for Centersoft Technologies. After a brief stint volunteering for the Dolphin Photo ID program at Florida Atlantic University Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, I was hired to join the team. I split time the first years at FAU HBOI between the Harmful Algal Bloom lab and the Dolphin Population and Assessment Lab. Settling in as a Research Assistant for the latter as well as a first responder for the Marine Mammal Rescue Team. In working with the Dolphin Population and Assessment Primary Researcher, along with other industry collaborators, I soon became the PIs data analyst and was paramount in the creation and development of the programs state of the art cloud-based SQL database platform. I worked as a liaison between the research program and software architects to assure ease of use, maximum data output and advanced analytics. The software is still used by the newly formed team today.  At the end of 2019 it was time for me to branch out on my own.  In the spring of 2022, WatchSpotter was born. My idea was to create a customizable SaaS application that could be used by researchers worldwide. Data is data- scientific questions need to be answered. My contingency was that no matter what the research topic- if the research brings people into the field-whether scientists, volunteers, or citizens, they are there to gather data-to answer questions. I knew that the two biggest challenges facing many environmental research groups were time and money. It would not be feasible for most nonprofits or other environmental institutions to pay for custom software- which often runs in excess of $150K nor do they have the time to wait for such programs to be complete.  These known challenges fueled the customization and simple UX that make up the WatchSpotter platform. When I’m working with Environmental Science or software, I enjoy being outside in the woods or at the beach, volunteering and hanging with family and friends.

About My specializations are Conservation Criminology and Animal Studies. My work focuses on how wildlife tourism can help or hinder conservation, the intersection of animal well-being and conservation, and the dimensions of the illegal wildlife trade. I work with both qualitative and quantitative data on numerous species of fauna.

Highly experienced in supporting policy and decision making through delivering data on marine species, coastal pollution, and water delivery on the local, state, and federal levels. Early in my career I took every opportunity I could to gain experience in marine mammal science from California to Quebec. These opportunities created strong connections eventually guiding me to researching plastic pollution while earning my masters degree. As I finished writing my thesis, I began working with NASA on projects using satellite imagery and big data to investigate drought, this experience immensely strengthened my project management, mapping, and analytical skills. Last year I ventured into conservation writing wanting to build on my science communication skills. I would be happy to feature your project or career journey as a blog post within WildHub, so feel free to reach out to set up a short chat/interview.