![\"Man](\"https:\/\/nyheter.ntnu.no\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Love-4.jpg\")
From birds to lions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Sanchez Virosta is a biologist and has been working with toxicology and birds. After his wife\u2019s death a good NTNU colleague, Veerle Jaspers, contacted him to offer comfort and support. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe said if you have any project, we can apply for something. For instance, Marie Sk\u0142odowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowships. I thought, Marie Curie, yeah, of course,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He had met Jaspers when they were part of a European COST Action, on raptor monitoring. And they were both working in raptor or bird toxicology. <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd she was the one who pushed me to think of this as a real opportunity,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019ve always worked with birds before, but I thought, this is the moment that I go with everything. So, why not? I told Veerle, and I thought she would say, \u201cPablo, we are not lion people, we are bird people\u201d. But she said, okay, let’s do that\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His fascination and love for lions comes from documentaries in his childhood. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI watched them all the time and was sad because we didn\u2019t have any in Spain,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n Sanchez Virosta has a PhD from Finland, and has worked in Spain, mostly on metal toxicology on birds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn eco-toxicology or in wildlife toxicology, we study the ecosystems from the top to the bottom, because toxicants tend to accumulate higher up the food chain. So, we usually work with predators, and with carnivores,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He allows that it\u2019s quite a big leap from birds to lions. And in these types of grant applications, the focus is on challenges, as the grants only support excellence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI have been working with tiny birds and many different birds. With eagle owls, little owls, vultures, blackbirds, pigeons. Always birds. But lions, they are such a creature. They are impressive. There is nothing like a lion,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lions are mammals, which can be very interesting from a human point of view. They are high in the food chain, and the results from Sanchez Virosta\u2019s research will be quite applicable to humans. Lions are very good model organisms for research in toxicology. Additionally, their populations are declining worldwide, but especially in East Africa. And there has been little research on toxicological problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The project was focused on Uganda and Queen Elizabeth National Park. Sanchez Virosta also met Eivin R\u00f8skaft, an NTNU professor emeritus who has worked in Tanzania for his entire academic career. R\u00f8skaft helped by sharing his African connections. In the end the grant covered work in Tanzania (in Serengeti National Park) and in Uganda (in Queen Elizabeth National Park).<\/p>\n\n\n Eugen S\u00f8rmo, who is the EU Adviser at the Faculty of Natural Sciences at NTNU was also helpful with Sanchez Virosta\u2019s application.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBecause of my life-situation I was very slow, and just five or six days before deadline I sent the application to Eugen for a read. He should have had a month. But he gave me very good feedback, and input. I rewrote a big part with his help and advice,\u201d Sanchez Virosta said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nevertheless, he wasn\u2019t sure he would get the grant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI think if you write the perfect project proposal for a grant like this, you may have a 30%, 40% chance of getting one. And from there, it\u2019s like winning the lottery,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Much to his amazement, Sanchez Virosta won this particular lottery in February 2023. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis was perhaps the most prestigious grant award in the world for people at my stage, as a postdoc. It was my dream project come true,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Wining the grant allowed Sanchez Virosta to travel to East Africa and do research. But this was not a walk in the (national) park. It takes work to secure permits and permission to enter the park, and to sedate lions and draw blood from them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Uganda officials think they may have toxicological problems, but they have never checked. There has been mining on the border of the park, although the mines have been closed for some years. Now, there is a possibility that they may reopen again soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s important to take samples before that happens to have a reference for later,\u201d Sanchez Virosta said. \u201cI think that if our data can show that there has been metal pollution in the past from mine emissions, they can at least take measures in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Queen Elizabeth National Park<\/a> in Kenya is believed to have 39 lions in the entire park. The park is very big, so, finding them is not easy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI spent about a month there and during that time, we could only find eight lions. If the metal levels are higher than they should be, park officials will at least know that there is a problem. You can\u2019t react if you don\u2019t know there is a problem,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\nA childhood dream<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Lion](\"https:\/\/nyheter.ntnu.no\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Love-15.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nEcotoxology studies<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Lions as models for research<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Man](\"https:\/\/nyheter.ntnu.no\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/To-bilder.jpg\")
Much appreciated help<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
And then the work starts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Lion](\"https:\/\/nyheter.ntnu.no\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Love-16.jpg\")