I retired in 1996. I would like to go back to the Congo to study the dwarf crocodile. The new government overthrew a democratically elected system, so other countries don't have diplomats there. Because I can't get permission and funding to enter the country without diplomatic permits, I can't do my study. I would also like to collect blood samples from dwarf crocodiles from markets in various parts of West and Central Africa.
People bring live crocodiles they caught in the wild to the market to sell for their meat.
If I took blood, I could compare DNA from different crocs and figure out how they are related to one another. My other projects are writing a book on crocodile diseases and a study of crocodile behavior. I am interested in the way mother crocodiles interact with their newly hatched babies. I think that the babies imprint on their mothers, like birds do. I am going to the Madras Crocodile Bank in India to watch mothers and babies interact, and hopefully I will solve this mystery.