San Diego Zoo Global (SDZG) has a research team, within their population sustainability department, that focuses on conserving leopards in Kenya by mitigating leopard-livestock conflicts with local pastoralist communities (SDZICR Leopard, 2019). The team works directly with communities and conservancies in northern Kenya to assess the range, density and status of leopards (SDZICR Leopard, 2020). They also want to develop local, adaptive management plans to improve human-leopard coexistence (SDZICR Leopard, 2020). The SDZG team is tracking leopards using remote cameras, genetic sampling, citizen (community) science and GPS collars (SDZICR Leopard, 2020). They use these methods to understand the mechanisms that drive leopard- livestock conflict and the management decisions aimed at mitigating conflict (SDZICR Leopard, 2020).
Around the Loisaba Conservancy around 75% people said they have leopard-livestock conflicts (Ruppert, 2017). The SDZG team collaborates with the Loisaba Conservancy (Ruppert, 2017; SDZICR, 2019). A member of the SDZG team, Ambrose Letoluai, conducted almost 90 interviews with the communities around Loisaba to gain an understanding of the communities attitudes and behaviours towards leopards, how they currently protect their livestock, and livestock loss (Ruppert, 2017).
With leopards being so elusive researchers have to find a way to draw them in so they can be seen on camera traps. The SDZG team has begun using scents to draw in leopards (Pilfold, 2017). They are trailing scent lures to increase camera detection of leopards (Pilfold, 2017).With enough photographs and videos of leopards they will be able to track coat pattern recognition to track specific leopards across space and time (Pilfold, 2017). These camera traps allow the researchers to engage in citizen (community) science to have non-researchers review the images and videos to assist the researchers in this study (Pilfold, 2017).
The SDZG team currently has 80 families included as part of the study to see what protections work or do not work for livestock protections (Carmignani, 2019). Half the families have wire to add height to the boma walls while the other half of the families have lights that blink brightly when something passes by it (Carmignani, 2019). The team will revisit with these families to listen to the feedback about the effectiveness of the wire and lights and balance the cost of supplies (Carmignani, 2019). They also created a Community Reporting Network where some individuals have cell phones and solar-powered battery chargers so they can respond to carnivore-livestock conflicts (Carmignani, 2019). To date no cell phone, chargers or 72 field cameras have been lost (Carmignani, 2019). There are community meetings held every three months to keep the community engaged and report any new findings (Carmignani, 2019).
Ambrose Letoluai is a leopard researcher, the first Samburu wildlife photographer and founder of the Chui Mamas. The Chui Mamas, or Leopard Mamas, is a group to help empower women and girls while also teaching the locals about carnivores, like the leopard, conservation and their importance. They make handcrafted beaded accessories that they sell to tourists (Carmignani, 2019). They also make soap to sell to the communities (Carmignani, 2019).
The video below focuses on the work Ambrose does studying leopards.
Literature Cited
Carmignani, K. (2019, September 4). The widespread work of a conservation warrior. San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research. https://institute.sandiegozoo.org/science-blog/widespread-work-conservation-warrior
Letoluai, A. (N.D.). [Leopard peaking between leaves] [Photograph]. Amblai Wild Photography. http://letoluai.com/photo-gallery/
MpalaLive1. (2018, December 12). Living with leopards [Video]. YouTube.
Pilfold, N. (2017, July 19). Luring wild, camera-shy leopards into getting their photo taken. San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research. https://institute.sandiegozoo.org/science-blog/luring-wild-camera-shy-leopards-getting-their-photo-taken
Ruppert, K. (2017, November 28). Living with leopards: Community conflicts in northern Kenya. San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research.
San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research (2019). African Leopard.
Wildlife Warriors. (2019, September 17). Laikipia leopards s.1 e.11 [Video]. YoutTube.