Kristof Baert

Kristof works as a veterinarian at the Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO), a Flemish government institute. He graduated in 2000 and, after combining a position as assistant at the Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Avian Diseases of Ghent University with work in a veterinary practice, his interest in wildlife led him to join INBO.

At INBO, he focuses on rodent control and invasive species in the context of biodiversity conservation, management, and sustainable use. He also has a broad interest in wildlife and rodent-borne diseases, including zoonoses. Within the Wildlife Management and Invasive Alien Species team, he specializes in rodent control. Kristof has built an extensive (inter)national network in the field of rodent research and has broad experience in providing expertise and support on rodent control. He has participated in projects on rodenticide resistance, secondary poisoning, animal-friendly control methods, bait preference tests, and mechanical control.

Many colleagues within INBO rely on his veterinary expertise, in particular his extensive necropsy experience. In 2008, he founded the laboratory animal facility (LA 1400559) at INBO. As experiment leader, secretary of the INBO Animal Welfare Ethics Committee, and laboratory manager, he has developed extensive expertise over the past 20 years in animal welfare and laboratory animal science in relation to wild animals. Since 2022, Kristof has been a member of the Flemish Laboratory Animal Commission, an advisory body within the Flemish Department of Animal Welfare.

For many years, he has been a board member of the Belgian Wildlife Disease Association (BWDS), a de facto association bringing together people interested in wildlife diseases. He co-organizes the biennial international symposium on wildlife diseases.

Kristof is (co)author of numerous peer-reviewed scientific publications focusing on wildlife management and diseases, and he regularly contributes to international conferences in this field. He wrote and contributed to several INBO publications.

Details

ORCID	0000-0002-1910-1114
Teams	Wildlife Management and Invasive Species