Denise Wenger-Curriculum Vitae

two Grey Seals, two seals, harbour porpoise and one grey seal
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Denise Wenger
Denise Wenger

Professional positions/activities: 

  • Currently: Research on recent distribution and foraging behaviour of and threats to harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) in the North German rivers Elbe and Weser;PhD thesis, Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research (ITAW), University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, supervisor Prof. Dr. Ursula Siebert  
  • 1994 - to present: Society for Dolphin Conservation (GRD), Munich. Position: Project coordinator, projects in Germany and Peru; Research coordinator for Harbour porpoise project North Sea and adjacent rivers. Media spokeswomen; Chief editor of GRD’s magazine; Member Board of Directors. 
  • 1993-1994: European Animal Aid: International project coordinator, Media spokeswoman
  • 1991-1993: Bavarian Environment Agency: Editor "Red List" of endangered species
  • 1987-1991: Max Planck Institute Seewiesen/Andechs; Scientific assistent; Diploma thesis: Foraging strategies of Sturnus vulgari - How starlings exploit a spatio-temporally distributed artificial food source.

Academic qualification

  • 1991 Degree in Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich (Diploma, 1.1, first class degree)

Publications in peer-reviewed journals                                               

Wenger, D. & Koschinski, S. (2012): Harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena Linnaeus, 1758) entering the Weser river after decades of absence. Marine Biology Research, 8:8, 737-745.

Wenger, D., Biebach, H. and Krebs, J.R. (1991): Free-Running Circadian Rhythm of a Learned Feeding Pattern in Starlings. Naturwissenschaften 78, 87-89.

Conference presentations

Wenger, D.: The return of Phocoena phocoena to North Germany’s Rivers – A case study from the Weser River (2007-2009), 24th Conference of the European Cetacean Society – Marine mammal populations: Challenges for conservation in the next decade, 22nd-24th March 2010, Stralsund, Germany

Wenger, D. & Biebach, H.: How starlings exploit a spatio-temporally distributed artificial food source, Third International Conference of Behavioural Ecology and Foraging Behavior, Uppsala, August 22-26, 1990.

Popular scientific publications

Around 90 articles concerning dolphin and whale conservation issues or project reports in different German magazines and GRD’s magazine “Delphinpost”.