Dmitri Tkachev

Dmitri Tkachev – Founder, Responsible Herpetoculture Foundation, as well as the Director and Founder of BION Terrarium Center (established in 1993). This reptile breeding operation, research and educational institution  located in Kyiv, Ukraine works internationally to propagate captive-bred individuals from threatened species to establish them Ex situ, within Herpetoculture tools. Of the 121 species successfully bred at BION, including number of leaf-tailed gecko’s from Madagascar  and face significant ongoing threats in the wild. BION maintains scientific relations in over 30 countries, produced over 200 scientific and methodological articles and organised over 50 conferences and seminars across the world.

Dmitri started his career in 1982 as Chairman of the terrarium section at Zoological Museum NAS of the Ukrainian Soviet Republic. Since then, he has held titles including Head of Reptile Breeding laboratory  at the Kiev Zoo, Ukraine, Executive Director of UAZA (Ukranian Association of Zoos and Aquariums) and most recently, Founder of the Responsible Herpetoculture Foundation. He has authored more than 50 articles, organised an array of expeditions and established the “Responsible Zooculture Center”, an educational and research institution .