Should we protect an emblematic species if it comes at the cost of another – especially in ecosystems still recovering from human impact? New research in collaboration with @wildcru.bsky.social researchers explores the ethical and ecological trade-offs. ➡️ Read more: https://tinyurl.com/2th925ts

New research @wildcru.bsky.social estimates >7000 adult penguins in one colony were killed in a four-year study; most weren't fully eaten, indicating they weren't all killed for food But the study also indicates pumas alone are unlikely to drive the colony to extinction ⬇️

Pumas are reclaiming their historical range in Patagonia but they pose a threat to defenceless prey - Magellanic penguins. A 4-year study estimates 7,000+ adult penguins were killed. Predation alone won’t cause extinction, but it can slow colony growth. 👉 doi.org/10.1016/j.jn... @biology.ox.ac.uk

Jaguars are threatened by habitat loss and persecution, but where can they still thrive? Using GPS data from 172 jaguars, researchers mapped suitable habitat across their historic range, revealing strong selection for productive areas near water & away from human landscapes doi.org/10.1038/s415...

In floodplains around Zakouma National Park, Chad, nomadic herders and settled farmers lose livestock, mainly to spotted hyenas and disease. Nomads lose more in the dry season, while losses rise for farmers in the wet season, requiring tailored solutions doi.org/10.1111/aje.... @biology.ox.ac.uk

WildCRU is happy to be supporting @saveourwildcats.bsky.social with their continued efforts to restore Scottish wildcat populations.

Ecology terms can be deceptively similar but their meanings matter. Using mesopredator and mesocarnivore interchangeable blurs our understanding of how species function in ecosystems. Researchers call for context-specific language to communicate clearly. doi.org/10.1002%2Fec... @biology.ox.ac.uk

The next Postgraduate Diploma in Wildlife Conservation will run from October 2026 until May 2027 in Oxford's new Life and Mind Building. Application deadline: Tuesday 3rd March 2026. Please first share your CV with us: [email protected] wildcru.org/study/diploma/ @biology.ox.ac.uk

Join Guilherme Costa Alvarenga on the Aussie Wildlife Show. From jaguar movement and colouration to hunting strategy and human-jaguar conflict, Gui shares insights from his PhD and fieldwork, including how native Brazilian wildlife shaped his career path. Listen 👉 open.spotify.com/episode/5jZK...

Proposed bans on importing hunting trophies to Europe fuel major debate, but what does the public think? A study in Germany shows low overall acceptance of elephant and zebra trophy hunting, with views shaped by personal values and detailed hunt context. doi.org/10.1016/j.bi... @biology.ox.ac.uk

Africa’s lions are increasingly targeted for the illegal wildlife trade, driven by demand for their body parts and linked to organised transnational crime. This hidden threat risks severe population declines and local extinctions without urgent action. conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....

Lions, leopards, and hyaenas are essential to healthy ecosystems, but they are disappearing from Cameroon’s Benoué region. Read the paper led by Serge Kamgang 👉 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.... [1/3] @biology.ox.ac.uk

Congratulations to the new Dr Yusuf Samsudin! 👏 During his PhD, Yusuf has combined humanities, social science, and natural science to better understand how elephants coexist with different communities in Sumatra, Indonesia. A huge well done from everyone at WildCRU! @biology.ox.ac.uk

Congratulations to the new Dr Chrishen Gomez! 👏 Throughout his PhD, Chrishen’s passion for Bornean wildlife has shaped his research, with a focus on exploring the use of DNA technology to understand the population histories of Sunda clouded leopards on the island. A huge well done from WildCRU!

Do you know these animals? Spotted at night, one species likes to use vegetation to hide, while the other is known to forage in African woodlands... Leave your guesses in the comments! 📸 Thanks to Lion Landscapes. @biology.ox.ac.uk

Following the Black Lives Matter movement, researchers found that systemic racism and exclusion shape conservation, disproportionately impacting BIPOC communities, especially in the Global South. Discover the framework for more inclusive conservation👉 doi.org/10.1038/s415... @biology.ox.ac.uk

Drawing from established community-based deer hunting practices in Slovenia, the article explores how the development of a similar system in the Scottish Highlands could help to reduce deer impacts and support more inclusive land management. 👉 link.springer.com/article/10.1... @biology.ox.ac.uk

A new study of camera trap data from Tanzania’s vast Selous–Nyerere ecosystem reveals it’s a leopard stronghold, with 3.8 – 8.1 leopards per 100 km². Researchers call for strategic, evidence-based monitoring of key sites to guide conservation. 👉 besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....

In 2025, we welcomed new researchers and PhD students, launched our website and said goodbye to our home at Tubney House. As we look ahead to a new chapter in the Life and Mind Building, we wish to thank everyone who has supported our work and look forward to furthering these connections in 2026.

WildCRU at Christmas ⭐ The team came together for a festive celebration to mark another year of important research, successful collaborations, and entertaining fieldwork anecdotes. We are looking forward to continuing our work in the new year, supporting science and conservation across the world.

Scotland’s growing deer populations are causing increasing ecological, social, and economic challenges, driving policy changes that will raise culling levels. But how acceptable is increased culling to Scottish communities? Find out 👉 doi.org/10.1002/pan3... @biology.ox.ac.uk

Christmas at the Department of Biology? This means quiz! 🎄 Happy to have been able to join the WildCRU team this year for the Biology Christmas Quiz. It took place at the Life and Mind Building, with the Oxford skyline in the background.❤️ PS: we won! 😁 @biology.ox.ac.uk @wildcru.bsky.social

Meet PhD researcher Tom Pavey Tom’s work bridges the past, present & future, assessing rapid climate change impacts on lion distribution and behaviour across their range. He is also an enthusiastic science communicator via film and public events. wildcru.org/members/thom... @tompavey.bsky.social

Do you know this animal? Spotted at night, this carnivore is often found in savanna zones of Africa. Leave your guesses in the comments! 📸 Thanks to Lion Landscapes. @biology.ox.ac.uk

What if camera-trap photos could tell us not just who walked by, but how big, how close, and how many animals there are? 👉 doi.org/10.1016/j.ec... Research led by Muhammad Aamir and coauthored by WildCRU’s Matthew Wijers and Andrew Loveridge. [1/3] @biology.ox.ac.uk @compscioxford.bsky.social

Tyler Murray-Ramcharan shared his PhD research exploring how astrobiology and conservation can work together to transform the way we detect, understand, and protect life on Earth by repurposing space-based life-detection technologies for wildlife monitoring. 1/2 @biology.ox.ac.uk

Alongside protecting livestock from lion attacks, mobile, predator-proof enclosures (bomas) have now been found to boost crop yields for up to 5 years. 👉 doi.org/10.1093/9780... Study coauthored by Liomba-Junior Mathe, Paul Johnson, David Macdonald, and Andrew Loveridge @biology.ox.ac.uk

Say hello to some of our new PhD students! 👋 Joining us from around the world, we are very happy to welcome Norman, Jessica, Sathvika, Matthew, Amelia, Alyx, David, Virginia, Hsin-Cheng, Xiaotong, and Victoria to WildCRU. Follow along to see how their research develops.

2024 Impact Report available! Research is at the heart of all we do, with excellent science leading to demonstrable conservation impacts. The report gives a snapshot of how our team are achieving this worldwide thanks to the generous support of many. 👉 tinyurl.com/mth52xm9 @biology.ox.ac.uk

New research reveals that a lion’s full-throated roar is unique to each individual and identification could soon help scientists to count lions and estimate population density. Read the study led by Jonathan Growcott 👉 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/... [1/3] @biology.ox.ac.uk @exeter.ac.uk

PhD student Jess Tacey shared research on individual differences in elephant behaviour shaping human-elephant conflict in Namibia’s Kunene region. She is exploring how local communities and stakeholders think this conflict should be managed to help people and elephants coexist. @biology.ox.ac.uk

It is conference season at WildCRU and our researchers have been attending events across the world to share their work, forge new collaborations and discover the latest updates in wildlife conservation. [1/3] @biology.ox.ac.uk

How it’s been at the new office lately… How’s yours? 🦊 @wildcru.bsky.social 🌱 @biology.ox.ac.uk

Once hunted to near extinction, wolves have slowly begun to recover in Europe. But their future is again in danger after the Council of Europe voted to downgrade the wolf’s legal protection. 👉 science.org/doi/10.1126/... 📸 Josip Kusak @biology.ox.ac.uk

Women play vital, but often overlooked, roles in wildmeat systems worldwide. A review of 300+ studies across 54 countries highlights women's influence from household consumption to market trade, yet their voices are rarely heard in decision-making. 👉 doi.org/10.1002/pan3... @biology.ox.ac.uk

As grazing spreads across the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, research shows that snow leopards stay on steep slopes with wild prey (bharal), while wolves favour flatter areas shared with livestock. Grazing management could help people and carnivores coexist. 👉 doi.org/10.1002/jwmg... @biology.ox.ac.uk

Meet Research Fellow Dr Egil Dröge With early research focussing on African wild dogs, Egil now studies many threatened African carnivores, passing on knowledge as Lead Tutor on our Post Graduate Diploma in International Wildlife Conservation Practice wildcru.org/members/dr-e... @biology.ox.ac.uk

Emily Madsen shared her PhD research on species specific local ecological knowledge from communities living alongside carnivores in Kenya. Using interview surveys, Emily aims to understand how well people know different species and what factors influence differences in knowledge. @biology.ox.ac.uk

Welcome back to WildCRU's candid camera. Can you name all of the species in this camera trap image? Leave your guesses in the comments. 📸 Thanks to Lion Landscapes. @biology.ox.ac.uk

Meet Senior Research Fellow Dr Lauren Harrington With a background in animal ecology and behaviour, Lauren has worked for over 30 years in conservation research and now focuses on incorporating animal welfare science into conservation practice. 👉 www.wildcru.org/members/dr-l... @biology.ox.ac.uk

Echolocation gives animals a unique way to "see" the world through sound - but what shapes where these species live? Researchers combined modelling and global datasets to discover the climatic influences on land and at sea. Read more👉 doi.org/10.1111/gcb.... @biology.ox.ac.uk

We welcomed Tsyon Asfaw from Universiteit Antwerpen and University of Leeds to share a recent study of large carnivore conservation in protected areas of Ethiopia’s Omo Valley. Despite identifying rich biodiversity, there is rising conflict when coexisting with communities. @biology.ox.ac.uk

Meet PhD researcher Guilherme Costa Alvarenga Gui is combining jaguar population dynamics, habitat use and human-carnivore coexistence to develop the first landscape-scale ecological model of jaguar population connectivity across the species’ range. wildcru.org/members/guil... @biology.ox.ac.uk

Introducing WildCRU’s candid camera! Across global research sites, our team sets up camera traps to collect scientific data, but we also capture unexpected wildlife moments! Do you know this animal? Hint: photo taken in Africa 📸 @jonathan-growcott.bsky.social & Charlotte Searle @biology.ox.ac.uk

Meet PhD researcher Harrison Carter His research aims to bridge the nature and finance sectors, allowing private markets to contribute towards our coexistence with nature in meaningful and scalable ways. 👉 wildcru.org/members/harr... Science communication👉 wildharrison.com @biology.ox.ac.uk

The financial sector’s influence on biodiversity is under growing scrutiny. Researchers found that only one major private equity firm has measurable, time-bound commitments to tackle biodiversity loss. Read the paper, led by Harrison Carter 👉 nature.com/articles/s41... @biology.ox.ac.uk

Meet PhD researcher Jenny Linden! Jenny’s research aims to assess the potential impacts of climate change on the endangered African wild dog using data from remote sensing, accelerometer collars, thermal data loggers, and fieldwork in South Africa. 👉 wildcru.org/members/jenn... @biology.ox.ac.uk

Chung-Hang Hung from National Taiwan University shared their research on little terns. Despite key challenges including coastal development, extreme weather, and disturbances from humans and animals, nationwide monitoring shows that breeding populations have increased since 2021 @biology.ox.ac.uk

Unsustainable development is fragmenting landscapes and harming biodiversity. Connecting Landscapes is a tool that helps policy makers assess trade-offs between development and conservation through modelling connectivity, population and genetic exchange. doi.org/10.1016/j.en... @biology.ox.ac.uk

From monitoring and threat detection, to vaccination and community initiatives, the Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Programme is helping to protect the Afroalpine ecosystem and endangered wolves that call it home. Discover 30 years of research 👉 ethiopianwolf.org/resources/EW... @biology.ox.ac.uk