All Safe: Once immobilised, the lion (centre rear) is masked to prevent eye damage. Zeke Davidson (right) and Nick Elliot (left) keep an eye out for the subdued male’s mate. © Andrew Harrington.
Collecting Evidence: Martin Steimer (left) photographs a buffalo skull found in a wire snare trap for evidence when the poacher is brought before the magistrate. © ALL4AP
The Rufford Maurice Laing Foundation provided a grant of £30,000 towards two projects in 2007/08.
Established in 1986 by David Macdonald, Oxford University’s Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU) is renowned worldwide for the calibre of its work. WildCRU seeks practical solutions to wildlife conservation and environmental management problems. Its key objective is to underpin conservation actions based on excellent science.
Hwange Lion Research Project is an established programme, which WildCRU, with Zimbabwe’s Parks and Wildlife Authority, began in 1999 to assess the impact of hunting on Hwange National Park’s lion population. Initial work (1999-2004) led to a temporary hunting suspension from 2005. Since then, WildCRU has been monitoring lion population recovery. Ultimately this work, funded by The Rufford Maurice Laing Foundation during 2006-07 and 2007-08, will underpin the implementation of a revised management programme, based on sound understanding of lion behavioural ecology and social biology within Hwange’s ecosystem.
Illegal killing of lions is a serious threat to their overall survival. In 2006 WildCRU began to address conflict between people and lions along the park boundary. With insight into lion behaviour and the needs of local people, the aim is to assist villagers to improve protection of livestock, reduce conflict with lions and remove the need to kill them illegally.
Key to this is the establishment and training of anti-poaching patrols to alleviate wildlife losses. With funding from The Rufford Maurice Laing Foundation in 2007-08, Animal Life Line for Anti-Poaching (ALL4AP) have recruited, trained and equipped nine new members who now form an operational unit. The unit works closely with the project and contributes important data through GPS information gathered during patrols. Since the members are locally recruited, they also gather information about specific cases from the local community.
Visit the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit website.