Manatees and other animals: what science reveals
Beauval Nature is celebrating the start of the new season: sign up for the event on 16 September!
Beauval Nature, a biodiversity conservation charity, invites you to its back-to-school event on 16 September. Following a review of the work carried out in 2025, the teams at Beauval Nature will present two field projects focusing on wildlife and what science is revealing.
The programme for your evening
7.00 pm: Doors open
7.30 pm: Start of the evening
9.00 pm: Drinks reception
The evening will finish around 9.30 pm.
How has the past year gone?
The evening will begin with a review of the past year by Baptiste Mulot, Managing Director of Beauval Nature. After qualifying as a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 2004, Baptiste Mulot joined the team at ZooParc de Beauval to look after the health of its animals. After ten years in the ZooParc de Beauval’s veterinary department, he took over as Head of Animal Health in early 2014, before stepping down from that role to become Director General of Beauval Nature in 2023.
The Chief Executive of Beauval Nature will therefore look back with you on the successes and challenges faced in 2025, and give you a behind-the-scenes look at the organisation: its staff, how it operates, its funders, and more. Beauval Nature will hold no more secrets for you!
Next, Lucas Dubus and Crystal Morin, both PhD students at Beauval Nature, will take the floor and, in turn, present their research on wild animals.
Two methods for studying and better protecting manatees
Lucas Dubus is working on his PhD at the Centre for Functional and Evolutionary Ecology (CEFE – CNRS Montpellier). Passionate about nature conservation, he is interested in biology as well as the laws and organisations working to protect biodiversity. His aim is to develop tools that will be useful to those who manage and protect natural areas.
His research focuses on the African manatee, a large aquatic mammal. How can we find out how many are left and where they live? Lucas Dubus will present two methods used to study them: listening to their underwater vocalisations, and analysing DNA traces left in the environment. These two innovative approaches should, in the long term, enable us to better protect the species and, who knows, perhaps one day even recognise each manatee individually by the sounds it makes!
Studying wild animals to better understand diseases
Crystal Morin, who has always been passionate about animals, attended a preparatory class in biology, followed by an agricultural engineering school in Rennes, where she learnt to combine her passion for animals with her interest in mathematics and computer science. She is currently working on her PhD at the LIENSs laboratory in La Rochelle.
Her topic: why are some animals more resistant to cancer than others? This disease does not only affect humans: it is found in the vast majority of species, from mussels to elephants! Yet some are almost completely immune to it. Drawing on medical data from zoos, Crystal Morin is seeking to understand the secrets behind this resistance, with a promising hope in mind: that one day this research might inspire better treatments for cancer, in both animals and humans.
After a few minutes of a ‘Q&A’ session with the audience, refreshments will be served, providing an opportunity to continue the discussion.
We look forward to seeing you on 16 September – please share this event and do come along in large numbers!
Practical information:
Address: Dôme Équatorial, North Entrance to ZooParc de Beauval – route de La Caillette – 41110 Saint-Aignan
Access to the event is via the North Entrance of ZooParc de Beauval only.
Times: 7.30 pm – 9.30 pm (doors open from 7 pm)
Access: Places are limited; booking is strongly recommended. Admission is by donation from €1, with proceeds going to Beauval Nature.
You will be asked to present your HelloAsso receipt at the reception desk, either in paper or digital form.
Tickets are non-refundable.
No entry tickets to the ZooParc de Beauval are required to attend the talk. The ZooParc de Beauval and the Equatorial Dome will not be accessible during this event.
Contact: invitation@zoobeauval.com / 02 36 39 21 04
