Samuel Ivande is a conservation biologist from Nigeria who can name thousands of different birds. He keeps a running list of the different species he’s seen across the globe, which amounts to well over 500.
Ivande will travel almost 7,000 miles to make Indianapolis his home to be a conservationist coordinator with the Indianapolis Zoo’s Global Center for Species Survival in September. One bird he’s excited to cross off his list when he gets here: a cardinal.
Birds people here see every day, he will be seeing for the first time, said Kelly Griese, public relations specialist for the zoo.
Griese said she can’t wait for his arrival because he brings a new set of knowledge and skills to the center.
“We knew he was a good cultural fit with us, that he brought the personality to the job, that it’s a good fit for everyone.” Griese said. “So it’s just a nice puzzle put together.”
The Global Center for Species Survival connects wildlife conservations from the International Union Conservation of Nature to focus coordinating protection efforts of more than 10,000 conservationists.
Ivande has been working remotely from Nigeria with various conservationists to help support their species assessments and implement conservation plans into action. Some of his focus has been studying migratory birds.
“One of those fascinating things about birds is the connections that it brings to people across the world,” Ivande said. “So, the opportunity to work at the global center and to get to connect and hear about the work that people are doing from all over the world, it was a really, really attractive and interesting opportunity that I thought was a good one to explore.”
In college, Ivande wasn’t sure what he wanted to study. His parents wanted him to study medicine. He wanted to travel and be outdoors. They compromised on pharmacy.
“I applied for pharmacy and was offered biology and to be honest, I was really disappointed,” Ivande said. “I didn’t know what I was going to do with biology.”
Little did Ivande know, he was on the right track to doing exactly what he wanted. His professor and mentor convinced him to stay and study biology and focus on birds.
“I think to sweeten the deal for me, he told me, ‘If you study birds, you will travel the world.’ Now, it’s happening,” Ivande said.
Ivande has traveled to more than 20 countries, including Madagascar, Spain and Canada, and is looking forward to traveling more through the global center. He is also looking forward to joining his other colleagues in the office in September and already has plans to go bird watching when he arrives. It already feels like he knows Indianapolis through countless hours of exploring on Google Maps, he said, and is looking forward to exploring the city in person rather than through a computer screen.
Contact staff writer Jayden Kennett 317-762-7847 or by email jaydenk@indyrecorder.com. Follow her on Twitter @JournoJay.
