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  • Teaching

    I have extensive experience teaching undergraduate and Honours-level (4th year) courses, including practical training courses. I have developed new blended learning material for first to fourth year (Honours) courses incorporating physiology (animal and human), animal behaviour and adaptations, ecology, zoogeography, population genetics, conservation biology, wildlife management and biostatistics.

    Teaching

    I currently co-teach:

    Practical field skills / conservation management techniques

    I have extensive experience in teaching practical field skills, conservation management techniques, and general field research techniques to students and protected area staff. This includes aspects such as:
    - population estimation (e.g., distance and transect sampling)
    - camera trapping
    - animal trapping and handling
    - radio-tracking
    - vegetation surveys
    - BACI experimental design

  • Collaboration & support

    I have had the opportunity to collaborate with numerous people from a host of organisations; similarly, my work has been supported by a number of funding institutions and organisations.

    Support

    I have benefited greatly, and would not have been able to conduct, or share, my research were it not for the support, directly or indirectly, from the following organisations:

    The National Research Foundation (South Africa)

    The British Ecological Society

    The American Association for Anatomy

    The Harry Oppenheimer Fellowship Award

    Oppenheimer Generations

    The Southern African Science Service Centre for Climate Change and Adaptive Land Management (SASSCAL)

    University of the Witwatersrand

    University of South Africa

    Recent collaborations

    Field sites

    1. Cass field station, New Zealand
    2. Telperion Nature Reserve, South Africa
    3. KAZA Transfrontier Conservation Area
    4. Bwabwata National Park, Namibia
    5. Etosha National Park, Namibia
    6. Gobabeb Namib Research Institute, Namibia
    7. Khaudum National Park, Namibia
    8. Rooipoort Nature Reserve, South Africa

    Collaborators

    Current

    1. Sze-Wing Yiu: Camera trapping
    2. Robyn Hetem, Piet Beytell, Emily Bennitt, Gaseitsiwe Masunga, Zara Schwann*, Clarissa Schill*, Melinda Boyers, Carsten Dormann, Johannes Signer, Marco Heurich. Project ANTELOPE
    3. Otso Ovaskainen, Tomas Roslin, David Dunson and global collaborators: LIFEPLAN - A planetary inventory of life through standardized semi-automated sampling, automated species recognition and Bayesian statistics.
    4. Haemish Melville, Kerry Slater, Anne Pandraud: Black & White Rhino behaviour and management
    5. Ciara Ball*, Robyn Hetem, Maya Beukes, Otto Beukes, Frans Radloff, Sam Ferreira: Movement patterns of Kgalagadi lions in relation to surface water and environmental heat load.
    6. Mika Vermeulen*, Janiel Padayachy*, Michael Somers, Hervé Fritz, Lain Pardo, Jan Venter: Snapshot Safari South Africa.
    7. Robyn Hetem, Piet Beytell, Karl-Heinz Moeller, Janine Sharp, Kiara Haylock*, Zach Mills*, du Preez Wild: Conservation physiology of large mammals inhabiting hot and arid regions.
    8. Wendy Turner, Kimberley Vera*, Werner Kilian, Robyn Hetem: Disease ecology in Etosha National Park.
    9. Werner Kilian, Axel Hartmann & Robyn Hetem: Water conservation mechanisms of African lions.
    10. Haemish Melville, Leslie Brown & ABEERU: Death in the long grass - the effects of carcass decomposition on a South African grassland ecosystem.

    Past

    1. Rouxlyn Roux*, Julia Zemouche*, Diana Moyo*, Kim Madikiza, Emmanuel Do Linh San & ASCaRIs: Ecology of small African carnivores (Genetta maculata & Galerella sanguinea).
    2. Maria Blanco Perez*, Morne Oosthuizen*, Mark Keith & Michael Somers: Animal burrows, their use and distribution in a South African grassland.
    3. Gobabeb Namib Research Institute, Gillian Maggs-Kölling, Mary Seely, Theo Wassenaar, Joh Henschel, Eugene Marais, Robyn Hetem, Kholofelo Raphesu*, Duncan Mitchell: FogLife.
    4. Kerry Slater, Caroline Kruger*, Conrad Muller*, Dan Parker: Brown hyaena ecology
    5. Angela Curtis*, Ernest Seamark & Mark Keith: The effects of artificial light on the bats of the Namib Desert.
    6. Ann Wilson, Grant Knight*, Sam Ferreira: Estimating rare antelope population variables in the Kruger National Park, South Africa.
    7. Wildlife Conservation Physiology at Wits University: Selective brain cooling as a water conservation mechanism.
    8. Haley D. O'Brien: Evolutionary and conservation physiology of selective brain cooling.

    * Denotes student collaborators

    Learned society memberships

    1. Australasian Wildlife Management Society (AWMS)
    2. British Ecological Society (BES)
    3. New Zealand Ecological Society (NZES)
    4. Society for Conservation Biology (SCB)
    5. Southern African Wildlife Management Association (SAWMA) (council member Sept '18- Sept '23)

    Editorial board member

    Senior Associate Editor at Conservation Science and Practice

    Image: Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx), 'Uruq Bani Ma'arid Protected Area, Saudi Arabia (© W. Maartin Strauss)

  • Recent graduates

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    Janiel Padayachy

    MSc in Zoology (University of the Witwatersrand) 2024 - with distinction

    Janiel investigated surface water dependency and activity patterns of mammalian herbivores using Snapshot Safari South Africa camera trap data. Janiel currently is the Landscape Conservation Project Officer at Wild Impact.

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    Zach Mills

    MSc in Zoology (University of the Witwatersrand) 2023

    Zach studied the movement patterns of spotted hyaena in relation to environmenmtal heat loads in Khaudum National Park, located in remote north esastern Namibia. Zach currently is the Califormia Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) unit Wildlife BIologist for the Monterey area.

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    MSc in Nature Conservation (UNISA) - 2022

    Kobus investigated the range use patterns, seasonal diet selection and population performance of a reintroduced white rhino population in the South African lowveld. Kobus currently is the Head of Operations & Development at Peace Parks Foundation.

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    MSc in Environmental Science (UNISA) - 2021

    Grant developed a new approach to counting the four rare antelope species (roan antelope Hippotragus equinus, sable antelope Hippotragus niger, eland Tragelaphus oryx & tsessebe Damaliscus lunatus) in the Kruger National Park using a helicopter platform. Grant currently works as Lead ATPL Helicopter Pilot

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    MSc in Zoology (University of Fort Hare) 2020 - with distinction

    Diana investigated the spatio-temporal ecology of slender mongoose in the Highveld grasslands of South Africa.

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    Konrad Muller

    MSc in Nature Conservation (UNISA) 2020

    Conrad investigated the behavioural ecology of brown hyaenas (Hyaena brunnea) on the Shamwari Private Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape province, South Africa.

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    MSc in Nature Conservation (UNISA) 2019 - with distinction

    Angela investigated the effect of light on Namib Desert bats.

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    Rouxlyn Botha (nee Roux)

    MSc in Environmental Science (UNISA) 2018 - with distinction

    Rouxlyn investigated the behavioural ecology of rusty spotted genets. Rouxlyn was jointly supervised with Prof. Emanuel Do Linh San (University of Fort Hare & ASCaRIs). Rouxlyn currently is a Research Technician at BioScience Research CC.

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    MSc in Zoology (University of the Witwatersrand) 2018 - with distinction

    Julia investigated the trophic ecology of rusty spotted genets Genetta maculata.

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    MRes (Imperial College, London) 2016 - with distinction

    Maria investigated the role that springhares Pedetis capensis play in providing shelter, by means of the burrow systems they dig, to other small vertebrates.

     

    Image: Blue wildebeest crossing the Etosha Pan, Etosha National Park, Namibia (© W. Maartin Strauss)

  • Opportunities

    I am always interested in hearing from prospective students, and post docs, who feel that their research interests might align with that of mine. While establishing new collaborative opportunities in Aotearoa NZ, I continue active collaboration with colleagues in southern Africa - so there are likely to be options, with in-country co-supervisor/s in South Africa, depending also on where your geographical interests lie...

    Below are some snapshots from the field providing an idea of the research that I have been involved with in different systems using a range of research technologies and techniques, to investigate both species-specific and broader ecological questions.

     

    Main image: Tūī (Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae), Tiritiri Matangi, Aotearoa, NZ (© W. Maartin Strauss)

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