While in San Diego, we met two of Dr. Zhang's colleagues who were also attending the conference: Dr. Wang Ding, Head of the Research Group on Conservation Biology of Aquatic Animals (Dr. Zhang is also a chief member of this research group), and Dr. Wang Kexiong, a former graduate student of Wang Ding who is now a researcher at the Institute of Hydrobiology (despite having the same surname, the two Drs. Wang are not related).
Dr. Zhang also gave us an informational brochure about the Institute of Hydrobiology. It describes the activities of Wang Ding's research group as follows: “[The] main studies of the group include animal acoustics and behavioral ecology, mechanisms causing the species [to be] in danger, population dynamics, small population biology, and restoration of endangered population, as well as reproductive biology of endangered species.”
Wang Kexiong and Wang Ding were presenting a research poster at the marine mammals conference in San Diego. The poster is entitled “A passive acoustic monitoring method applied to determine movement direction of free-ranging finless porpoises” and describes the acoustic devices used to monitor the finless porpoises that are currently living and (based on our conversation with Wang Ding and Zhang Xianfeng) prospering in the Shishou Semi-Natural Reserve (see Wang et al. 2005, Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 118, 1180).
